Kuruizaku
by Pandora-chan
Summary: ExT, amalgamation of manga and anime. Eriol returns to Tomoeda years later to find he isn't the only one feeling utterly alone. [COMPLETE]
1. Akisame

**Kuruizaku**_ (to bloom out of season)_

**Pairings:** as of yet, none. Soon E+T (S+S, T+Y, K+E)

**Content:** Angst, humour, romance, etc…

**Warnings:** none as of yet

**Note from the Author: **This is my first Eriol/Tomoyo fic so be nice! And please review!

o0o0o

**Prologue: Akisame** _(autumn rain/fall rain) _

It had been raining for almost a straight week.

A girl sat, gazing out the window at the rain. Her long dark hair spilled down her shoulders to her waist, and her stormy eyes reflected the clouds in the sky. Sighing, she shifted on the bedspread, her gaze unwavering from the gloomy weather.

"Tomoyo?" A young girl walked in the room, brushing her short red-gold hair, a puzzled frown on her face. She dropped the hairbrush on a pillow next to a sleeping creature that looked remarkably like a stuffed animal, and approached her friend. Grumbling slightly, Sakura prodded her friend gently to get her attention.

Tomoyo jumped. "Ne!"

Sakura stifled a giggle. It wasn't often that she got the best of her friend. Usually it would be the other way round. At school, for example, Tomoyo was best known for snapping _Sakura_ out of her daydreams, or breaking her gaze towards a certain Chinese boy. Pushing her thoughts aside, Sakura sat down next to her friend with a small frown. "Tomoyo-chan, are you alright?" She motioned towards the opened window. "Aren't you cold?"

Shaking her head, the other girl idly played with a strand of her hair. "Oh, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura whined, pouting. "What's gotten _into _you? It's your _birthday_, you should be happy! But now you are daydreaming worse than me!"

"I'm fine," Tomoyo sighed, looking at her best friend. "I just… I don't know." She turned her attention back to the weather. "Do you think this rain is at all strange?"

Sakura frowned, and cocked her head to the side. "It's autumn… it usually rains in autumn, Tomoyo."

"That's not what I meant!" the dark haired girl cried, throwing her hands up. "I meant this rain seems… unnatural. Like there is some not-seasonal-related-reason for it. Don't you feel it?"

Sakura looked a mixture of perplexed, stunned and doubtful. "Uh, Tomoyo…"

"I know! I know I am not a magically inclined person like you or Li-kun, and I have no sixth sense for these things, but, something just feels… _off_."

"Maybe it's intuition. Mizuki-sensei once told me everyone has an intuition of a sort, just some people find theirs is stronger than others." She smiled happily, placing her hand on Tomoyo's. "Maybe something is coming, meant for you and you alone! Maybe it is time for you to find your _own_ happiness, Tomoyo. Maybe that is what it means."

Tomoyo smiled back at her best friend, squeezing her hand, before turning her attention back out the window. Sakura sighed, and got up to close the window. Tomoyo sighed again, and got off the bed. "I'm sorry, I'm being really a bore."

"It's okay Tomoyo. I understand. If you want to be alone we can forget about the sleepover…"

"Don't even think about it!" Tomoyo cried. "I invited you here, and it is my responsibility as a guest to keep to the plan. Mother would have my head for such a thing! Now, shall we leave Kero to his cake-induced coma and get some hot chocolate?"

Grinning, Sakura nodded and followed her friend out the bedroom door.

ELSEWHERE IN TOMOEDA…

"How typical!" Nakuru splashed in a puddle. "From one wet country to another! Remind me WHY we are back again?"

Spinel rolled his eyes, glaring at the other guardian from the safety of Eriol's coat. "_You _were the one excited about returning, if only for the opportunity to harass the card Mistress's brother again. _We _on the other hand, are back for other reasons, and you know exactly what they are.

"Besides, you seem to be enjoying yourself well enough," he added, watching Nakuru bounce up and down in the puddles, splashing water up 'her' stockings and boots.

Eriol said nothing, a small smirk on his face, and he waved down a taxi. He was back in Tomoeda, and no one knew it yet. It was time to put the past five-odd years behind him and start again.

o0o0o

_Read and review please please please! (huggles)_


	2. Namidaame

**Kuruizaku **_(to bloom out of season)_

**Pairings:** mentioned Kaho+Eriol

**Content:** Angst, humour, romance, etc…

**Disclaimers: **for both this chapter and the previous – if I owned this series then there would be an entire manga devoted to Eriol and Tomoyo. But I don't, sadly.

o0o0o

**Chapter One: Namidaame** _(light rain/rain falling at a time of sadness)_

TWO YEARS EARLIER…

"We need to talk…"

All she'd had to say were those four little words, and his life had fallen apart.

He'd known for so long that things weren't right between them, but a part of him had refused to let go, holding onto the obscure chance that what he could sense was wrong. But then, from the beginning that feeling had been there, he knew that now. So why hadn't he acknowledged it? Why hadn't he understood, and thus prevented the pain of having his heart ripped out by the one woman he had offered it to?

Because he was a fool, that's why. For years after he had left Japan he had been confused as to where his life should lead him. With her by his side, he had been certain he had gotten at least part of it right. Their age difference he had always believed would matter less as he grew older, but somehow it had gotten worse.

She wanted something he didn't. She wanted to be married, to have children and settle down. He had just turned fifteen when she had said this.

Fifteen.

He didn't want to be tied down to a family at fifteen. He wanted to finish out his high school years, and follow on to university. She had argued that he knew enough already, he was smarter than most of his teachers, but that wasn't the point. He _enjoyed_ learning. He wanted to learn things he _didn't_ already know. Maybe even study to become a teacher.

Sure, he wanted family… eventually. It wasn't that money was tight, no – he had enough money to last him several lifetimes in comfort. It wasn't that he would make a bad father, either – he patiently looked after his creations (mainly Nakuru) every day, which could be compared to caring for two ADHD two year olds when Spinel had been force-fed sugar.

No, two things bothered him the most. One was his age. He was too young to be a real father, too young to walk down the street with a child in his arms and still keep the respect of his elders, which he basked in. Second was the fact that he wasn't ready to stay home and help make house, and he believed no child should be brought up without two parents there to care for it.

So maybe that was his first warning that their relationship was over. His reluctance to sacrifice his current life for her personal desires.

Or maybe it was the fact that their relationship never held enough love to survive from the beginning.

o0o0o

"We need to talk…"

Eriol turned in his chair and looked at her. Her sad eyes revealed her decision before he had the chance to see the bags packed at her feet. He couldn't bring himself to say anything at all. Instead, he stared at his hands, trying his best to both make sense of the emotions raging inside him, and ignore the presence of his creations as they lurked outside the study door, watching.

"Eriol?"

Her voice sounded strained, as if she had been crying. He forced himself to speak. "I'm sorry, Kaho…"

He knew he couldn't fight this. There was no point. It had to happen, there was no point in making it worse. Accepting it was all he could do now.

He heard her sigh softly. "I know, Eriol, but please hear me out. I should have known from the start that this wasn't going to work. We both should have. But… I suppose all that is left is to make the break clean. And I'm just as sorry – for pushing you, for not understanding, for… for everything. So I'm just going to leave, and hope you understand the reason for such a departure. You don't need to say anything."

She reached down and picked up her bags, then paused before leaving. "The rest of my things are boxed up… they'll be picked up tomorrow." A moment of silence, then, "I love you, Eriol. I always will. But we aren't what each other needs. I hope… I hope you find happiness."

And then she was gone.

o0o0o

Eriol had a dream that night. He stood in shrine in Japan, staring out into the rain at the gardens before him. In the pagoda by the pond stood a couple, sheltering themselves from the downpour. Although their backs faced him, and the weather darkened the light, he immediately recognised them as Fujitaka and Nadeshiko. He smiled softly at their strange reunion.  
Yet he envied the calm peace between them – the warmth and comfort their love radiated. It was nothing like the love between him and Kaho, he knew that now. He knew because below the surface of the couple's steady stream of love was a fierce loyalty, a passionate longing and an unbreakable bond. The three things missing in his relationship with Kaho. 

But despite his envy, despite his longing for his own soul-mate, he felt a kind of contentment in just watching them. Something about the scene made him hold more hope for himself. As Nadeshiko turned slightly to whisper something to her lover, her hand obscuring her face, Eriol heard a voice in his head that sounded remarkably like Clow.

To achieve happiness in your life, take a look at the lives of others around you and see in their happiness where your road should lead you.

It was at that moment, he noticed something with wide eyes. The man standing before him had black hair – not brown.

Black…?

Eriol gasped as the man turned to look at his lover, his profile finally coming into view… HIS OWN profile. Eriol knew. He recognised himself immediately, despite the likeness to his other half.

But then, if that was him, then who was…

**CRASH!**

"Suppi!" A whine cut through his dream, startling him awake.

"Get AWAY from me, you freak of magic!"

With a groan, Eriol collapsed back onto his pillow, ignoring the racket outside his door. He recalled his dream slowly, going over it bit by bit, trying to make some sense of it.

o0o0o

_There! Sorry, no E+T action yet… for a while actually. Big thanks to the following, who reviewed me! _

_**Chielle **(thy faithful reviewer)**, Gauri92, Elvirna, **and **Asga.** Sorry if it takes me a while to update, but it all depends on when I can get to the computers that let me!_

_I don't write for money, I write for reviews! Please indulge me! (Criticism welcomed, flames ignored.)_


	3. Shuushi

**Kuruizaku **_(to bloom out of season)_

**Pairings:** implied S+S

**Content:** Angst, humour, romance, etc…

**Disclaimers: **Too poor and not anywhere near as talented as CLAMP. So no, I don't own the series.

o0o0o 

**Chapter Two: Shuushi** _(lonely feeling of fall)_

A year earlier, if one had asked Daidouji Tomoyo how she put up with the fact that the girl she loved, loved another, she would have simply answered: "Her happiness is my happiness". But then, a year can change a lot. And oh, how things had changed.

Since Syaoran's return to Tomoeda, Tomoyo had begun to notice something that made her reasoning difficult – seeing the loneliness in her best friend made Sakura unhappy. Which in turn made Tomoyo unhappy, because she was unable to make her friend happy anymore. But then that was Sakura – selfless to a fault.

So Tomoyo made a decision. She decided to get over her childhood crush.

It was surprisingly easy. So much so, it scared her at first. But it also made her realise that all these years, she had been clinging to this crush because it was like a security blanket. She'd never really known anything else.

"Daidouji-san!" Syaoran waved at her as she walked out her front gate towards the corner.

"Ohayo, Li-kun!" she greeted with a smile

He nodded in response, smiling back. "Shall we?"

When Syaoran had returned to Tomoeda, his old apartment was taken, and so he had been forced to find another place to live. Unfortunately for Sakura, it had been even further away than last time – much to Touya's satisfaction. He had ended up living not far from Tomoyo, however, and since they still all went to the same school, the two of them had begun to walk together to and from school. Not only did it mean that Tomoyo didn't have to be escorted everywhere, it also gave the two an opportunity to become better friends, which was easy, despite their differences.

Of course, it hadn't exactly been a piece of cake convincing Sonomi to allow this. She had refused to believe that her daughter was just as safe in the company of one teenage boy as a group of bodyguards. She had even insisted upon testing him.

Then of course, when he had proved himself capable enough of this, Sonomi had demanded an appropriate reason why her darling niece Sakura was dating such a boy. But finally she had accepted it all and allowed it, for which Tomoyo was eternally grateful.

Over time, Syaoran had almost become like a brother for her. Whenever Sakura thought she had found the perfect person for Tomoyo to date, Syaoran would give them the third degree, which usually resulted in scaring them off. Then he'd argue with Sakura that he did so because they weren't good enough for Tomoyo. It was amusing, how protective he was of her. Both girls commonly teased him, saying Touya's attitude must be rubbing off on him.

Tomoyo didn't mind the fact that she was not dating. While it was nice to know her friends cared, she found she preferred to be single.

Even if she was despicably lonely.

o0o0o

"Daidouji-san?"

Li's enquiring voice broke into her thoughts. She looked up into his concerned eyes. They had been walking in absolute silence for so long that they were nearly at the school. Smiling apologetically, she shook her head. "Gomen, I was just thinking, that's all."

Syaoran didn't seem convinced. "Sakura said the other day that you were acting strangely. She said that you were more 'away with the fairies' that she normally is! Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Li-kun. Just…"

"…Lonely?" he offered.

Tomoyo faltered in her step, and looked shocked.

"Sorry, it was just an accurate wild guess." He kicked a pebble. "It's understandable, Daidouji-san. Most of your friends are in relationships… it must be difficult for you."

Tomoyo shook her head again. "Iie. It isn't that."

"Sakura is desperate to find someone for you, she just wants to see you happy. And all those times she does think she has found someone, I seem to scare them off and you don't even get a chance to find out if it could work…" He sighed. "You know you don't have to pay attention to my opinion."

She stopped him, and looked him in the eye. "Li-kun, it isn't about _that_. I'm just… _fussy._"

He raised an amused eyebrow. "Fussy?" he queried, smirking.

She gave him a short glare. "Surely you, of all people, understand!"

Syaoran looked completely bewildered.

Sighing, Tomoyo attempted to explain herself. "All those guys – and girls – Sakura wanted me to date… they were all fine! I'm sure they were sweet and kind, and would be wonderful in a relationship. Because I trust Sakura's judgement… she wouldn't let me down."

Syaoran frowned. "Then why-" Raising her hand for silence, Tomoyo commenced walking as she continued.

"I have an ideal. I don't know when I got it, who or what spurred it on, but it's there. So someone, at sometime in my life, must have previously gotten to me without me realising it at the time!" She pouted, looking at the ground. "And I've not the slightest idea _who_, except that I'm fairly sure it was a guy."

Blinking, Syaoran began to laugh, ignoring the daggers being shot at him by his friend. (1) "You don't mean that all this time, you thought you loved Sakura, but in actual fact you didn't? You were in love with some… unknown person?"

Scowling at his reaction, the dark haired girl nodded reluctantly. "And now no one else will do! It's terrible, because I don't even _know _the person I've fallen for! I mean, I think if maybe I see them, I'll know them, but so far…"

"No luck?" Syaoran finished.She nodded, sighing, as they approached the gate to Seijyo High. "Well," he continued. "When you do figure out who it is, you'll let me know, ne? I need to approve," he smirked.

She grinned in return, about to reply when-

"SYAORAN! TOMOYO-CHAN!"

Both heads turned to see a breathless, excited Sakura running over to them. She stopped before she knocked them over, catching her breath a few moments.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo said cheerfully.

"Oh _Tomoyo_! You won't believe it! None of us did at first. Not even _I _knew about it until today!"

Syaoran looked perplexed. "Ne, Sakura, what are you talking about?"

"It's Eriol-kun!" she squealed in reply. "He's _back_, and for _good_!"

o0o0o

_1. This is a metaphor… just making sure you remember that, sometimes it gets a little confusing in CCS fics!_

_Two more chapters posted… two steps closer to E/T action. (does a little dance) And if I make any mistakes with language, affixes or Japanese schooling, please let me know as I am rather ignorant and tend to make it up._

_I don't write for money, I write for reviews! Please indulge me! (Criticism welcomed, flames ignored.)_


	4. Kouyou

**Kuruizaku **_(to bloom out of season)_

_**Pairings:** E+T (finally!)_

_**Content:** Angst, humour, romance, etc…_

_**Disclaimers: **I am just a poor art student with an overactive imagination – please don't sue me!_

o0o0o 

**Chapter Three: Kouyou** _(leaves changing colour)_

Daidouji Tomoyo _never _blushed. Not the way Sakura did. She used to go slightly pink in the cheeks when she was younger, during her best friend's card capturing days, whilst cooing over certain outfits. But nothing more than that. She was known for it – being poised, composed.

So why now, of all times, should she find herself blushing a deep rose?

Well, it hadn't been a problem at first. She had entered the classroom behind her two best friends, one overjoyed and the other incredibly reluctant. She had seen her other friends all gathered around the familiar figure, talking happily and excitedly, and she had smiled her infamous smile. She had noticed the other girls in the room whispering about him, and giggling. She had seen the boys in the room, shrugging it off or showing barely contained jealousy as the girls fawned over this newcomer.

She had made her way over to her friends with that same smile still on her face, and had courteously and formally greeted her old friend with a bow of the head.

But then she had met his eyes, just for the briefest of moments, and she felt her cheeks warm. Those familiar, all-knowing eyes, the deepest of blues, had caught her gaze and her soul was bared for the world to see.

It was a rather disconcerting feeling.

Yet nobody had noticed this strange event, much to her relief. She kept her eyes to the floor as she barely listened to Yamazaki's new lie, and by the time Chiharu was throttling him, she was lost in thought.

Only the teacher's voice could snap her out of it, as the woman entered the room and called for her students to be seated.

So as she fixed her gaze on the blackboard, she completely missed the look of concern one Hiiragizawa Eriol sent her way as he introduced himself to the class.

o0o0o

Eriol glanced at the desk next to him, and sure enough, she was still staring out the window. Every so often she would sigh softly, and he wondered what was on her mind to make her so distant. After all, she was Daidouji Tomoyo, and she _always_ topped her class. What was so distracting, then?

Ah, but she had looked so delightful earlier. She had blushed when he greeted her – _BLUSHED_! Such a thing was unheard of. He wasn't unused to such a reaction from girls – not that he was at all narcissistic, of course not! – but from Tomoyo, it was… beyond rare. It was a miracle.

A flattering one, at that. He smiled at the memory.

Glancing back at her, he noticed she was still distracted, and smirked as a plan formed in his head.

Less than a minute later, she was startled out of her reverie by a small piece of paper hitting her hand. She looked at it, and then around the room, but didn't notice he had thrown it. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as she unfolded it and read it, frowning slightly.

Moments later, a smile blossomed over her face, and she glanced his way, before taking her pen and replying on her own piece of notepaper. Waiting a minute for Akahara-sensei to turn her back, Tomoyo tossed it lightly onto his desk. He smiled and read it.

- _I've been fine. And you?-_

He replied as quickly as he could, while pretending to still be working.

_- Fine, I suppose. You stopped writing. -_

He saw her smile softly at his response, and kept working until another note hit the side of his head. He turned to look at her, mocking offence, to see her struggling to muffle giggles, her hand over her mouth. He gave her a half-hearted glare, then read her reply.

- _So did you. -_

He sighed inwardly, unable to deny it. Although they had promised to write, they had in fact only exchanged two or three letters over the course of the five-year gap since he'd left Tomoeda.

Moments later, Eriol tossed the reply to her.

_- Good point. So is there any big news I should know about? -_

Tomoyo thought about the reply before tossing it back to him, and this time he saw it coming and caught it. She grinned at him, and he winked back, amused at the soft pink colour that tinted her cheeks when he did.

-_ Not really. You must have, though. What made you move back to Tomoeda? -_

He drew in his breath at that question, reluctant to answer. Thankfully, the bell rang a few minutes later and he was able to avoid it… or so he thought. He didn't count on her sidling up to him as he packed his books into his satchel.

"Ne, Hiiragizawa-kun? You didn't answer my question."

Swallowing, he turned and smiled, hoping to avoid it still. "Why, what question would that be, Daidouji-san?"

Tomoyo narrowed her eyes. "Ever evasive, aren't we? I asked why you came back, remember?"

He looked at her but turned away quickly, afraid she would read his mind. If there was anything he knew about her, it was that she was incredibly observant. Instead, he smiled cheerfully and masked his pain. "I guess I just missed Japan."

As his friends surrounded him, he sincerely hoped he had just imagined the scepticism and concern that had crossed her features upon his reply.

o0o0o

_Sorry for another short chapter! (bows head in apology) I realised also that I am a total baka and all I needed to do was refresh my screen when the internet was being a pain. So yeah, expect more updates!_

_To my faithful reviewers: **Chielle-san**, **Gauri92**, **x0kAwAiix0**, and **Elvirna** (I hate short chapters too, but somehow I tend to write them! But MWA HA HA cliffhangers are fun). You all rock! (huggles)_

_I offer cookies for reviews! Ones of Eriol and Tomoyo holding hands! So large they're practically cakes! (Criticism welcomed, flames ignored.)_


	5. Meigetsu

**Kuruizaku **_(to bloom out of season)_

_**Pairings:** E+T _

_**Content:** Angst, humour, romance, etc…_

_**Disclaimers: **I am just a poor art student with an overactive imagination – please don't sue me!_

o0o0o 

**Chapter Four:** **M****eigetsu** _(harvest moon)_

Tomoyo sighed inwardly, staring out the window. She knew she'd been doing it a lot recently, but strange things kept happening. At the moment, she was busy pondering why she had blushed the day before. Sure, Eriol had grown into a very attractive young man, but he was _Eriol…_besides, she had seen plenty of handsome young men before and not blushed over them.

So why now? Why Eriol? What made him so different?

"Ohayo Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura's face popped into view, startling Tomoyo out of her thoughts. She smiled and greeted her friend.

"Ohayo Sakura-chan," Tomoyo smiled at her friend in response. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm good!" Sakura plopped down into her seat and began rummaging through her satchel in search of last nights homework. "Although, yesterday onii-chan was not in the greatest of moods. Apparently Nakuru-chan jumped him at work and he blames me for not warning him! _ME_!" She crossed her arms and huffed. "_MOU_! Like I even knew she was back."

Tomoyo laughed softly at the adorable pout on her best friend's face.

Still grumbling, the card mistress continued. "Anyway, he wouldn't leave me alone all night. And tou-san just made him angrier!"

"Why? What did he do?"

"Well, as soon as he learned of Eriol's return, he promptly insisted I invite him over for dinner some night! Onii-chan was so angry he stormed upstairs. But tou-san didn't seem bothered by it, for some reason." Sakura placed her chin on her palm and looked into space. "After all, I suppose Eriol-kun is the closest he has to family…"

Blinking, Tomoyo considered this for a moment before her thoughts were interrupted again. "Oh, but Kero was acting strangely too!" the girl continued. "When he learned Spinel Sun was undoubtedly back, he got this strange look in his eye and wouldn't stop rubbing his paws together… I think he must be plotting something, and whatever it is it can't be good!"

Tomoyo laughed at that, the image all too clear in her head.

"OH!" Sakura cried, leaping from her chair. "Eriol-kun!"

Looking up, the dark haired girl watched as her best friend waved the boy over and invited him to tea. But her mind was already drifting elsewhere again.

o0o0o

"All right class, settle down," Akahara-sensei sighed as she entered the class. The normally rather subdued students seemed a little more raucous since the arrival of the English student the day before. Everyone was seated and alert within moments, though, so she was glad to see that she still had them well trained.

Except… strangely… the best student in her class was not paying attention to her. Rather, she was staring into space in the general direction of Hiiragizawa-san. Raising an eyebrow, she smiled. She herself was still young, and she knew the signs when she saw them. She also knew the horror of being embarrassed in front of the entire class, so she politely cleared her throat and opted for another way to get the girl to pull her head out of the clouds. "Daidouji-san, could you please take the roll for me? I left something in the staff-room, and would like to get straight onto it when I return."

She smiled as the girl's eyes immediately snapped to the front upon hearing her name. Noticing the pink cheeks, Akahara-sensei smiled knowingly, sending a silent message to the young student from the front of the room. _You're lucky I'm nice, just don't let it happen again._ Flushed, the girl rose and headed to the teacher's desk to take the roll as the young woman left the room, musing.

When she returned, Daidouji-san was completely attentive and the role was completed and placed neatly on her desk. "Thank you, Daidouji-san. Now, class," she began, removing her small glasses and leaning on her desk with a piece of paper (blank, since she didn't need to go to the staffroom at all) on the top of a clipboard as she stared at her homeroom students. "Since we are getting closer to the Christmas break, I was wondering if you could all put your heads together and help me with something.

"As you know, the other classes are planning Winter Social Events for their homeroom," she smiled at the suddenly lit up faces around the room, "and we have yet to decide on ours. So, with your combined imaginations and ingenious originality, I suggest we spend the next few days deciding on how we are going to make our social occasion beat the other classes' by miles."

The class cheered, and Akahara-sensei couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. She loved this class. "Anyway, since we have a newcomer, I suggest we begin by fishing through his head for any brilliant ideas he can bring to our class. Hiiragizawa-san, kindly impart your foreign knowledge upon us, please?"

The dark-haired boy raised an eyebrow at the teacher. She winked back. The whole class was looking at him, so he sighed, and thought for a moment before speaking. "Well, that depends. When will it be held?"

Akahara-sensei pretended to consider her blank piece of paper as she scanned her memory. "No set date, but it will be around mid-December, shortly before the Christmas break."

Touching a finger to his chin, he stared at the ceiling as if deep in thought before listing ideas off on his finger. "Well, since you seem so eager for a Western style event, there are several. Winter Solstice, Thanksgiving, Halloween…"

Yanagisawa Naoko immediately spoke up. "Halloween? I've heard of that. That's all to do with the supernatural isn't it?"

Kinomoto Sakura paled. Yamazaki Takashi grinned mischievously. Mihara Chiharu clamped her hand over said boy's mouth before he could say anything.

His trademark secretive smile spread across his face as Hiiragizawa-san continued. "That's right. It is the adapted festival of Samhain, the autumn solstice. In the Western countries children dress in scary costumes and go door to door for candy. The scarier the costume, the more candy you receive."

Akahara-sensei raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about that. Bribing candy from strangers is a little unethical and dangerous."

"Well, that is only part of the festival. Usually, a Halloween themed party, full of tricks, horror movies, games and such is a necessary accompaniment. Houses are made to look like ghost houses, decorated with fake cobwebs, fake mist, plastic skeletons, pumpkins hollowed out and turned into candles with frightening faces carved into them…"

Most of the class were rapt with the idea. Yanasigawa-san and Yamazaki-san were nearly bouncing with joy, but Kinomoto-san was close to hiding in the nearest corner.

Touching a finger to her chin, the teacher pondered this. "So, you are suggesting a horror-themed costume party, Hiiragizawa-san?"

He smiled and nodded at her.

She answered with a smile of her own. "And the rest of the class are happy with this proposal?"

Taking in the positive replies that chorused throughout of the room from almost all the students, and the look of excitement they held, Akahara-sensei sighed dramatically. "Well then, I suppose our event is chosen."

o0o0o

_Again… short chapter… they'll probably all be around this length, sorry. I don't tend to go into detail very often, and also I am a bit caught up in study at the moment. And I wasn't sure of the details of Halloween and stuff in Japan… so I assumed that they don't celebrate it. Besides, this gave me a chance to use Naoko more, since her character is so cool._

_Thanks for reviewing! Have cookies! (Hands out cookies to **MoMo-ChAn1** and **crystal-shian**) Well, that's disappointing. I only handed out two cookies! Oh well, I have plenty left over, so REVIEW AWAY!_


	6. Doshaburi

**Kuruizaku **_(to bloom out of season)_

_**Pairings:** E+T, S+S, Chiharu+Takashi _

_**Content:** Angst, humour, romance, etc…_

_**Disclaimers: **I am just a poor art student with an overactive imagination – please don't sue me!_

o0o0o 

**Chapter Five: Doshaburi **(cloudburst)

"Mou! I can't believe this! What a nightmare!"

"Iie! A dream come true, more like! This will be the best class event _ever_!"

Tomoyo smiled softly, watching two of her friends loudly proclaim their opinions on the upcoming event. It was lunch, and Sakura still hadn't stopped whining about the outcome of homeroom that morning. Naoko hadn't either, but for a different reason all together.

"Oh, Sakura, you'll be fine!" Tomoyo insisted, placing a hand gently on her friend's shoulder. "It will all be fake, nothing will hurt you."

Sakura shot her a look that said something along the lines of: _Yeah, right, at **Eriol's **house? I wouldn't put anything past him. _Tomoyo giggled behind her hand.

It was true, though, she mused. Eriol had agreed to host the party at his mansion (at the mention of which a lot of the girls in the class turned around and looked at him with increased appreciation). The girls in the front of the class had persuaded Akahara-sensei to include a dance in the festivities, and she had complied on the condition that _they_ could find appropriate music.

Other jobs had also been handed out. Naoko and Takashi were put together (rather, demanded to be) to compile a list of ghost stories and games to play. Sakura, Rika and Chiharu were placed together for food, and Syaoran had offered to help them. Eriol's admirers had also banded together to help with the decorating when they were needed – a good excuse to visit his mansion, at any rate. While everyone was to get their own costumes together, Tomoyo had offered help where needed, but only help. She had outright refused to make everyone's costumes. Other than that, for some reason the teacher had paired her up with Eriol as chief planners of the event… and she had worn a strange smile as she did so. Tomoyo frowned at that. She hadn't liked that look, it bothered her.

"Over here, boys!" Chiharu called out, beckoning their friends over to their shaded spot on the grass. Takashi was deep in conversation with Eriol, probably about the party, Tomoyo noticed. Syaoran was rolling his eyes at them. Moments later, the three took their respective places next to the four girls on the grass. Eriol glanced around the group for a moment, and then spoke up.

"Where's Sasaki-san?"

"Where do you think she is?"

Eriol turned to look at Naoko and shrugged. "I would have no idea."

Mimicking zipping her mouth shut, Naoko grinned and reached into her bento box. Seeing the look of frustration on Eriol's face at the lack of response, Tomoyo spoke up. "Rika hasn't been eating lunch with us for a long time now. If you wish to speak to her, you are more likely to find her eating over by the school boundaries with Terada-sensei."

Eriol blinked as he took in this information, but didn't seem as surprised as the others had been when they found out. Shrugging again, he opened his bag and began to fish around for his lunch.

Tomoyo found herself watching him again as the mindless conversation started up. She kept herself aware of the others, joining in the conversation when she felt it necessary, breaking her gaze when he turned her way.

o0o0o

Normally Syaoran was occupied with another person during the lunch hour… it was his chance to do so without getting reprimanded. But today he found himself watching Tomoyo instead. He had noticed earlier that she was acting strangely, but had passed it off as pms or something. But now he wasn't so sure.

She was doing it again… zoning out. Every so often, she would join in the conversation, but then shortly after end up staring off into thin air… in Hiiragizawa's direction.

Syaoran scowled. He had an inkling that he knew what this was about, but wasn't sure if he should say anything. Maybe he should talk to Sakura about it later?

Until then, maybe Tomoyo just needed distracting…

"Daidouji-san, are you going to eat that?"

Tomoyo immediately snapped out of her careless gazing and blinked, meeting Syaoran's gaze. He pointed to her bento box, eyebrows raised. "Oh! Hai… sorry, I was lost in thought..."

Syoaran grinned at her, one of those, _Oh, I'll bet you were_ grins… she flushed and chewed on some sashimi, tuning herself back into the conversation.

"So are there any games we can play that involve food?" Chiharu rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's statement, but Eriol laughed and nodded, much to Takashi's delight.

"Apple bobbing. You fill a barrel with water, put a bunch of apples in, and everyone has to stick their head in and grab an apple by the stalk with their teeth. If they succeed, they get to eat it." (1)

"Ewww!" the girls chorused, making faces.

Eriol placed a finger to his chin. "You know, you're right… that is pretty gross, I never thought about it before. But it's tradition," he shrugged.

Chiharu wrinkled her nose. "Ugh. Anything more hygienic?"

"Hanging syrupy scones by string and eating them without using your hands?"

The girl rolled her eyes and shook her head, long corkscrew curls swinging wildly around her face. "Go figure."

Her boyfriend, however, was gleefully taking notes. "And you mentioned 'trick or treating' just before… explain!"

Chiharu groaned and turned to her friends as Eriol talked animatedly about the basics of playing pranks on people who are stingy with treats. "Sometimes I really wonder about that boy."

Naoko laughed. "You _are_ the one dating him."

"Exactly why I wonder."

"Heyyy!" Takashi looked wounded. "I'm not so bad!"

"Not so good either."

His jaw dropped at her retort. She grinned and lifted his jaw with her finger to close his mouth. "Better keep that mouth of yours shut before something unpleasant flies into it." She kissed him lightly, then turned back to her lunch. (2)

Takashi was quiet for a few minutes after that, grinning. Eriol laughed at him.

Tomoyo found her eyes straying back to the mage, and frowned slightly. There was something… something…

Frustrated, she turned back to her lunch.

"Are you okay Daidouji-san? You look troubled."

"Hmm?" she looked at Eriol, and then smiled and shook her head. "Iie, I'm fine. Really."

He grinned. "I thought maybe you were being fussy."

Her head snapped up in shock and she stared at him. "Nani?"

Blinking in surprise, Eriol gestured at her barely eaten lunch. "About your food. You weren't eating."

"Oh…" she stared at the ground wide eyed, and shook her head again. "No, just… not hungry, I guess…" she murmured, her mind a whirl. _Fussy_, she thought. _Could it be…_

Looking back up hesitantly, she noticed the conversation had already re-started. So she was able to stare in shock at Eriol without drawing much attention.

Fussy… she was being fussy…

Feeling like she had just been smacked over the back of the head, she let it sink in.

_Eriol… is my **ideal**…_

o0o0o

1. It's truly gross, don't you think? And to think, I won one of those once!

2. I had to make Chiharu a flirt, for some reason

_(All of the information about Halloween in this chapter and in the chapters to come is correct, and can be found on various websites and in various books. Easiest reference is at en . wikipedia . org remove spaces. It's an interesting read, I recommend it.)_

_Heh, Eriol has a fan club. It had to happen. Well, hope you like it!_

_Thanks to my reviewers: **angel's sorrow, MoMo-chAn1, cristal-shian, Chielle, Elvirna, **and of course, **azuremiko** (mega huggles). Cookies for you all, and the next chapter shouldn't be too far away!_


	7. Tenkyuu

**Kuruizaku **_(to bloom out of season)_

_**Pairings:** finally! E+T flirting! _

_**Content:** Angst, humour, romance, etc…_

_**Disclaimers: **I am just a poor art student with an overactive imagination – please don't sue me!_

_**A/N:** BEHOLD! Longer chapter! (not including all the stuff at the end) I hope this all makes sense…_

o0o

o0o0o 

o0o

**Chapter Six: Tenkyuu **_(rain from a cloudless sky)_

She looked out over the field from the roof. It was lunchtime, and it was raining again. Everyone else was inside the classroom eating, or studying, or in the gym, but she had decided to watch the rain. And her favourite place to escape to was the roof of Seijyo High. Some of the teachers knew she went up here, but never told her off – she was, after all, one of the top students. That status came with a certain amount of trust from the faculty. She found it a good place to distance herself from the world, or work on her singing, or just observe fellow classmates.

But on that particular day, Tomoyo was there to think. And the matter that troubled her was something that had plagued her mind for over a week.

That Eriol was … was her _ideal. _That he was the one person who all others were unknowingly compared to. The one person no one _could _compare to…

Pouting, she wondered if she should tell someone, but then got a nagging feeling that with her recent staring problem (which she had spent the past week working on) at least one of her friends probably knew. Sighing, she looked up the sky as it continued to pour down. "Why won't the rain stop?" Tomoyo whispered to herself, half irritated, half musing.

"Would you rather have snow?"

Startled, Tomoyo whirled around to see Eriol standing behind her, holding two steaming mugs, a thermos tucked under his arm. "Hot chocolate?" he grinned.

Her face immediately lit up, and he looked amused as he handed her one of the mugs. "Careful, it's hot. You don't want to spill it."

"Arigatou, Hiirazigawa-kun."

"No problem. You looked cold." He placed the thermos by his feet and leaned against the wall next to her, looking at the sky. "What are you doing up here?"

"I come here sometimes, to clear my head. Why aren't you with the others?"

Shrugging, he blew on the drink. "They're all doing their own thing. I didn't want to intrude."

"So you decided to intrude on me instead?"

Eriol grinned. "Ah, but you were lonely. I figured you needed company."

Surprised, Tomoyo looked at him. "What makes you think that?"

A mysterious smile spread across his face, and he sipped the chocolate before answering. "Your eyes betray you, Daidouji-san."

She was silent for a long time after he said that, and he wished he could take it back. But she broke the awkward silence eventually by changing the subject. "When shall we work on the class event? I can't today, I have choir then dinner at Sakura's."

Pushing away his regret, Eriol answered. "Tomorrow, then?"

Nodding, Tomoyo sipped her drink. "That sounds fine. I'll meet you after the bell."

"Nakuru is looking forward to seeing you again. If you stay for dinner I'm sure she'll cook up a storm, as long as you don't mind sugar on everything."

Tomoyo laughed. "I'd love to join you. Thanks. And I'll be sure to compliment anything Akizuki-san throws my way."

"Bad idea. If it's terrible – which is more than likely – then she'll cook it again whether you are around or not." Eriol grimaced. "I love cooking, but she rarely lets me in the kitchen anymore."

"There's a simple solution to that," Tomoyo shrugged. "Compromise. If she is so good at sweet things, put her in charge of dessert, and yourself in charge of dinner. Everyone wins."

Eriol pouted. "Spoiling my fun with your logic, Daidouji-san? I rather enjoy watching the chaos that ensues when she cooks. It is better than television." He smirked. Tomoyo laughed.

"Whatever you say."

Smiling, they stood side by side in silence and watched the rain, any unease forgotten.

o0o

o0o0o

o0o

It had become a beautiful day. The grey clouds that had dulled the morning sky had evaporated, leaving behind warm sunlight to combat the chill in the air. The colourful leaves were scattering across the grounds in the breeze, a myriad of red, yellow and orange tones. The school grounds never looked more beautiful than they did in autumn. Smiling to herself, Tomoyo finished packing her satchel, pulled her coat tighter around herself then adjusted her scarf. She was about to leave when she heard someone approach.

"Daidouji-san?"

"Hmm?" She turned to smile at the dark haired boy, who looked strangely serious, as if he were about to confess something. She was a little puzzled for a moment, and then noticed his eyes fall on the book she was holding. Music. A smile spread across his face and the mysterious expression he'd previously shown evaporated with it. She was forced to forget it as he spoke again.

"Music?" he enquired.

She smiled in response. "Oh… when I started at Seijyo, I was informed that I should take up a musical instrument as well as choir, just to further my skills and knowledge of music."

"Ah… so what instrument is the melodious Daidouji Tomoyo fine-tuning then?" he joked. She blushed.

"The piano."

Eriol's face lit up. "Really? Well well well. An interesting choice…" he raised an eyebrow. "What made you decide?"

"It was the best choice, as it was the best to assist me in my choir practice."

"Of course." He touched a finger to his chin. "I don't suppose the lovely Daidouji-san would bestow upon me a private concert?"

Tomoyo was still blushing. "Um, sure."

He grinned mischievously. "Excellent!" Taking her hand, he began to lead her towards the music rooms.

"NANI! _Now_? I thought you meant another time!"

"Now is as good a time as any," he replied with a grin. She gave in, letting herself be led to a spare piano. Minutes later he was gesturing at one while she shut the door to the practice room. She smiled at the expectant expression on his face.

"Well?" he asked.

"I'm happy to oblige," she replied, curtseying before taking her seat. He sat down next to her, seemingly unaware of her heated blush. Ignoring the small distance between them, she set her fingers to the keys and began to play.

As the song went on, she lost herself in the melody. It was her favourite – romantic, full of yearning and yet also a sense of gentle peace. She had heard it on a CD by an English-speaking artist, and she had fallen in love with it. Such a simple piece, yet all the more beautiful because of it. Tomoyo was so caught up in it, she didn't notice the look on Eriol's face as she played…

o0o

"I love that song," Eriol softly mused when she finished.

"You know it?

He nodded. "Kaho had the CD." A look of overwhelming sadness flashed across his face, and then was gone. He was smiling at her again. Something inside her tore slightly when she saw that, and the brief pain caused her to nearly miss what he was saying.

"… has nowhere near as divine a voice as you."

Tomoyo was blushing again, the pain pushed to the back of her mind, but not forgotten. "On the contrary, I think she is a better singer than me. In another of her albums, she reaches notes I could never dream of reaching."

"I bet if you practiced, you could go even higher."

Tomoyo went a little pink. "All this faith in my voice, Hiiragizawa-kun? One would think you are looking for a record deal."

"I just might be," he teased, amused at the shade she turned at his comment.

"That's too bad," she sighed, mocking melancholy. "But sadly, my voice is not for sale nor for possession."

He smiled, leaning towards her slightly. "That _is_ too bad. For if I owned your voice, I would have no need for any radio or album, for I could simply play the piano and have your voice beside me whenever I wished for song." Tomoyo flushed deeper than she had all day. He smiled flirtatiously. "Of course, I wouldn't dare deprive Daidouji-san of her greatest divine gift. It would be a sin to do so. And besides," he added, "why have possession of such a voice when one cannot fully appreciate it without its owner present?"

With that, his flirtatious smile turned back into his regular grin as he stood and picked up his satchel from the floor. Tomoyo took a few moments to recover before turning back to the young mage. "Ne… Hiiragizawa-kun?"

"Aa?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you flirting with me?"

He looked at her, then chuckled. "Only if you want me to be." With that, he walked out the door.

Left breathless, she glanced out the window and sighed – it was raining again.

o0o

o0o0o

o0o

Nakuru was grumbling. No, that was an understatement. Nakuru was just downright cantankerous. Spinel had been doing his best to avoid him, knowing what he was like during bouts of continuous rain, but he had to admit he enjoyed not being chased with bags of icing sugar and a spoon for once. However, it was tiring, seeing the moon guardian stomping around the house loudly, complaining – no, _whinging _about how all this rain was stopping 'her' from wearing those pretty girly heels from London.

Eriol was no help though. He had been rather recluse over the past few days. Of course, Spinel knew _exactly _what the reason was but hadn't said anything at first, as the sun guardian rather enjoyed the rain sometimes.

_Some_times.

So the time had come to try and fix it. It was just getting… unnatural. The time saw both guardians outside the door to their master's library, listening intently.

"He's playing _that_ song again!"

"Yes, Ruby, I have ears."

"It's _raining_ because of him!"

"I know, Ruby, I have eyes."

"You're being _mean_!" Ruby Moon whined in his usual 'subtle' way. He stomped his foot, flicked his hair, and crossed his arms, pouting.

Spinel rolled his eyes at the other guardian. "Your theatrics don't solve anything, Ruby Moon," he said, floating towards their master, who was seated at his favourite grand piano, eyes closed, playing the same song again and again.

Spinel cleared his throat, swished his tail irritably, and glared. The moon guardian snorted at that, before stomping loudly into the room.

"THAT won't get you anywhere, Suppi-chan," Ruby muttered before yanking Eriol's hair.

"Ye-OW! What on earth?" Eriol rubbed his scalp, perplexed. "Mind telling me what that was for, Ruby?"

"STOP _BROODING_! THE WEATHER _SUCKS_, SO CAN YOU _QUIT _IT ALREADY?"

Eriol blinked. Spinel coughed lightly.

"I think what Ruby meant to say, is that your moods are affecting the weather so badly at the moment that he is getting… mildly grumpy. He would prefer it if you cheered up."

"My… moods?"

"You're _broody_, Eriol-sama! You haven't been this bad since K… mph!" Ruby swatted Spinel's paw off his mouth and glared.

Ignoring the icicles being sent his way, Spinel floated over to his master's shoulder and perched there. "You need to sort out your feeling for her. And you need to let her know. Keeping it inside is just creating chaos…" Spinel looked at the moon guardian who was storming out of the room. "… And I don't just mean the weather."

Eriol sighed. "I know, I know. I just… I used to be so good at this. I can flirt with her, but can't bring myself to go any further. Honestly, Spinel, I feel so much like a gawky teenager at the moment that I can hardly find my feet around her."

"Isn't that what you wanted? To live life as a normal teenager, not Clow's reincarnation?"

Eriol gave a small smile. "Yes, but I forgot what it is like."

"But you still want this? What we came back here for?"

"Of course."

"Then you'll have to be like every other teenager and get over it." Spinel jumped off Eriol's shoulder, his counselling done, and padded out the door.

Eriol watched him go with a smile.

o0o

o0o0o

o0o

_(The piece Tomoyo plays in this chapter is Last Dance, by Sarah McLachlan. She is the singer they talk about. Eriol later plays Watermark, by Enya – a similar piece.)_

_I read something odd about not being allowed to reply to people's reviews… is that just reviewing your reviews or as an actual part of the story or just bollocks? Oh well, I don't care. I think it is great. It means acknowledging those who acknowledge your work and every writer should do so. _

_So to you all, thanks for the reviews (so happy!), and as for personal remarks…_

_**Cristal-shian – **Sakura is smarter than most people think. I always picked her for naive also, until someone pointed out her smarts. Besides, she may have been a bit of a clueless 11 year old, but she had to get smarter as she got older. Thanks!_

_**Azuremiko – **sorry that the pic is taking so long! Feel free to join the Eriol fan club though… hmmm, now I am considering putting one on my website, once Chielle and I finally get it back up and running. But sorry, the party won't be for a while. We have to get through a lot of E+T before then! Thanks!_

_**pUrple cRUsh – **Have updated! Sorry it took so long! Thanks!_

_**Chielle – **Good point. Chiharu always seemed the flirty type, in my opinion. Her and Tomoyo. I plan on making Tomoyo a great flirt, mwa ha haa… Hey, what do you say to an Eriol fan club on our website? Thanks!_

_**Gipsy-chan – **YAY! I love people who love my writing! (huggles) Thanks!_

_**Intuition – **Another fan, hee hee. I am getting an ego! (grin) Thanks!_

_**Vampire-child… - **YAY! Thanks!_

_**Tempestchaos18 – **More thanks! _

_You guys all rule. I'll try to update sooner next time. _


	8. Nakiwari

**Kuruizaku **_(to bloom out of season)_

_**Pairings:** more E+T flirting! _

_**Content:** Angst, humour, romance, etc…_

_**Disclaimers: **I am just a poor art student with an overactive imagination – please don't sue me!_

_**A/N:** Finally we get an explanation…_

o0o

o0o0o 

o0o

**Chapter Seven: Nakiwarai **_(smile while crying)_

o0o

_'The thing people know least is themselves_… _especially their hearts…' (Tomoyo, Volume 12)_

o0o

He watched her chew on her pen for a moment, and smiled. "I never pegged you for such inane habits, Daidouji-san."

She looked confused for a moment, then noticed what she was doing and whipped the pen from her mouth. "Sorry."

Eriol just grinned in response. "Well you seemed to be thinking rather hard… any brainwaves?" he asked, taking a bite from his apple.

Turning away from the book, Tomoyo looked at him. The late afternoon light spilled over his face and highlighted the blue tints in his dark hair, and gave his face a warm glow. She fought back an inevitable blush as a laughing look entered his eyes from her admiring gaze, and answered his question. "Ano… there is a lot in here about this holiday," she said, turning back to the book Eriol had enchanted to read in Japanese, rather than English. "But it depends, really, if you want to stick to the original or the modern traditions."

"Which do you prefer?"

She raised an eyebrow. "The modern, I think, since I doubt Akahara-sensei will appreciate a ritual sacrifice over a bonfire."

Soft laughter.

"But we have to keep with the… what are they called? Jack 'o lanterns. I love the idea." Tomoyo pointed to a picture. "The path to the mansion would look fantastic lined with them."

Eriol ate the entire apple core and grinned again at her disgusted face, then nodded. "I am thinking we have floating ones inside the house as well."

"Uh… Hiiragizawa-kun… remember what we decided about magic?"

A wink. "I mean we can suspend them from the ceiling… although, it would be fun to have some cackling and chasing our classmates around."

They both laughed at that.

He reached for her empty glass. "Refill?"

"Hai, arigatou."

Tomoyo watched him leave the room, then sighed and sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching. They had been here for almost two hours already since school finished for the day. The sun was going to be sinking soon, and she was thankful her mother had allowed her to stay for dinner. She was enjoying herself too much.

Surveying the library more thoroughly than when she had first arrived, she understood immediately why Eriol loved this room so much. It was tastefully decorated in a western style, with heavy drapes surrounding the tall windows, bookcases lining the walls, a large desk of a dark polished wood, and countless rugs and tapestries decorating the room. The area they were working in was split level, a square in the centre of the room occupied by low couches and large pillows. A simple chandelier hung above them. Littered throughout the room were knick-knacks that echoed Eriol's eccentric nature, like colourful glass bottles, statues, mathematical instruments, several different mortar and pestles, and a very large globe that sat on the floor.

Rising, Tomoyo straightened her uniform and wandered over to the far end of the room, where she could see a wall that was mostly window. The sun was lowering itself to the horizon in the distance, and the view was beautiful.

But something else had caught her eye.

A large black grand piano sat, half hidden by a bookshelf, not far from the window. It was looked antique and much loved, but was obviously used frequently. Pages of music lay on the narrow bench.

Tomoyo breathed out in reverence at the sight, and was immediately drawn to it. Running her fingers over the polished wood, she tilted her head and softly tapped a key. A precise, clear note rang out. She smiled.

o0o

An ice cold drink in his hand, Eriol wandered back up the stairs, but paused on the landing. Someone was playing the piano. A smile crept over his face as he re-entered the library, placed the drink on a coaster on the coffee table, and walked over to find Tomoyo delicately playing the music that had been left on the bench.

Attempting to play it, anyway. She was doing rather well since she didn't know the music. '_Appassionata_,' he mused. He watched her wordlessly as she became more and more frustrated with the song, seemingly convinced she was playing it wrong.

He silently walked over to the bench and seated himself next to her, amused when she jumped. "OH! Gomen, I didn't mean… I was just…"

Eriol laughed softly. "Calm down, I don't mind," he motioned for her to sit back down. "You were playing that well for your first time. It's a strange piece."

"You mean it is supposed to sound like that!" she looked astounded.

"Sort of…" he played the first page for her, smirking at her expression when he stopped. "Beethoven. It is actually one of my favourite pieces of music."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why, because it is as strange as you?"

Laughing, he shook his head. "No, it's… complicated." Tomoyo gave him a look until he relented. "Okay, it's because this was a breakthrough piece of music in its time. It was one of the first to explore the full capacity of the keyboard with such a storm of emotion."

She frowned. "Honestly? I don't believe you."

"Shall I demonstrate?" Eriol asked as he turned back to the keyboard. At her approval he began to play the piece, determined to prove her wrong. Tomoyo watched the complicated movements of his hands as they flew over the keys in a strange dance, producing one of the strangest tunes she had ever heard. But while the hand movement fascinated her, the song irritated her until she held up her hand to stop him. He gave her an enquiring look.

"I'm sure it is the product of a genius, but I'm sorry, Eriol, I can't stand it."

Eriol grinned in response. "I said it was one of the first, not the best. Would you like to hear my favourite piece? This one demonstrates the same idea more effectively."

"I'd be delighted, but it had better be good."

With a secretive smile, he turned back to piano and began to play. The song immediately drew Tomoyo up in a whirlwind of emotion and complicated finger work. She stared in amazement at his hands as they moved over the keys for the first few bars, but then gave up from dizziness, instead resolving to close her eyes and just listen. Something inside her stirred as he played, and she deduced that if there was ever a song made purely to draw every emotion possible out of the instrument, this was it. And as these emotions were played, she felt them in every fibre of her body.

Joy, love, heartbreak, sorrow, hope, despair, anger…

She gasped as the song broke off suddenly. Blinking her eyes open, she found herself speaking before she could stop herself. "Why did you stop?"

"It… that's the end of the song," he murmured, staring at the keys.

Tomoyo looked a little startled and disappointed. "Oh…" There was silence, and she looked at him, confused, seeing his head lowered, his mirth from mere minutes ago gone. "Ne, Hiiragizawa-kun? Are you alright?"

Slowly, he raised his head and looked at her, and she drew in a sharp breath. There was such turmoil in his eyes that it almost hurt to look at them. She felt her heart constrict, and tears formed in her eyes. Tomoyo leaned forward and pulled him into a tight embrace. He stiffened slightly, but only for a second before returning the embrace.

If she was empathic, Tomoyo could have sworn that she could actually feel the unrest coming off him in waves, and she wanted to cry. Steeling her emotions, she rubbed his back gently. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.

He drew in a shaky breath and drew back slightly. Tears were spilling from his eyes. Removing his glasses, he wiped his eyes and shook his head. "I'm fine, I just… it's just…" Eriol cleared his throat and stood. "It's nothing, never mind."

Temporarily stunned, she watched as he walked over to their workspace for a few moments before leaping off the bench and running after him. "Eriol! Wait, please!"

He paused, then turned and looked at her incredulously. She gasped, realising what she had said, and placed a hand over her mouth for a few moments. A smile spread over his face, but didn't quite reach his eyes. Ignoring her slip up for the moment, she marched over to him and pulled him down onto the cushions with her.

"Please stop hiding, Eriol," she said gently, speaking to him the way she always did to Sakura when her friend was upset. "It doesn't help to keep it inside, I should know."

That look passed over his face again, and he looked down instead, noticing the way her hands held his so tenderly. Warmth spread through him, but she didn't seem to notice his reaction. Instead, she reached out and tilted his head up, and brushed his bangs back to kiss his forehead lightly. Her compassion had always astounded him at the best of times, but he never thought that it would ever be directed at him in such a way.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she whispered.

Eriol lowered his eyes again, and swallowed. He couldn't keep it from her forever, that much he knew. Sighing, he nodded. "You… may have figured this out already, but the reason for my return was… was Kaho."

o0o

Tomoyo was an excellent listener. Everyone always said so. Sakura had always turned to her and only her when she had needed to talk. Even Syaoran requested her company for some of his problems on occasion. But this was so different. Not because she was listening to the explanation of a complicated relationship her crush had, nor because this was a young man with the suffering of two lifetimes, but because while listening to him talk she discovered something startling.

She had fallen in love with him.

So it was quite out of character for Tomoyo to be lost in her own thoughts momentarily while she was supposed to be listening to another. Luckily, it only happened for a few seconds, and she snapped back to reality before he noticed.

Eriol sighed. "And so, after two years of moping, Spinel and Nakuru demanded I drag myself back to Japan and away from the memories. And here I am."

Tomoyo placed her hand on his comfortingly. "But it is doing you good to be here, isn't it? You seem happy enough."

"I am happy… I just miss London sometimes."

Shrug. "You can still go back there, when you think have gotten past it."

Eriol looked at her sheepishly. "Not without buying another house. I gave the mansion to the city council… I think they turned it into another orphanage."

She gasped. "You rid the place of magic, right?"

"Of course! That place is now just an old house with the history of being owned a century ago by an eccentric self-proclaimed magician."

Tomoyo laughed melodiously before giving him a warm smile. "That's too bad. I would have liked to someday see your house in London."

"No need," Eriol chuckled, "It's almost exactly the same as this one. Clow liked to feel at home no matter which country he was in."

She giggled softly behind her hand, then hugged him. "So are you feeling better?"

He hugged her back briefly before nodding. "I don't understand why, though, after two years I'm still upset."

"She was your first love, Eriol, it will always hurt a certain amount."

He looked at her strangely for a moment then ran a hand through his hair. "I suppose, but it was my decision, really. And yet, here I am, months later, still not over it! I've moved on, and still…"

Tomoyo stiffened slightly, but tried to hide it. "Moved on? Do I know her?" She watched as he went pale, then pink.

"Uh… I… really shouldn't say…" he muttered, but the look on his face before he looked at the carpet spoke volumes.

Tomoyo went pink. "O-OH! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have pried. It isn't my business at all!"

"It's fine, don't worry about it…"

Biting her lip, she glanced out the window at the sunset. "It's getting late… we should make dinner."

Nodding, he helped her up, accepting one last lingering hug. "Arigatou, Tomoyo," he whispered. A smiled crept over her face, and she nodded.

"Anytime, Eriol."

For a moment, they just remained there, smiling at each other. No permission was required. Theirs was the silent understanding of close friends.

He took her hand and led her out the door.

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"Moshi-Moshi, Kinomoto residence."

"Sakura?"

"Ohayo Tomoyo!" A pause. "Is there something wrong?"

"It's… Sakura, did you know why Eriol moved back here?"

A devious smile crept across Sakura's face at the personal address, but she didn't call Tomoyo on it, nor did she even allow her friend to hear the amusement in her voice as she replied. "Probably because he was lonely after his break up with Mizuki-sensei. Why?"

There was stunned silence, then, "You knew?"

Giggling, Sakura explained herself. "Not for sure, but when he came back here without her, he looked lonely, and didn't say a word about her to any of us. I didn't want to force him to say anything until he was ready. And other than that, only you, Syaoran, onii-chan and Yukito were aware of their relationship. Syaoran could care less, onii-chan minds his own business, and Yukito is far too polite to ask." She paused a moment. "Mou! Tomoyo how did you **_not_** notice, anyway? You're usually the most observant of all of us!"

"I… I guess my mind has been elsewhere recently," Tomoyo said honestly. She refused to lie, her mother said it was unbecoming of a lady, and nothing good could come of it.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, Sakura smiled brightly. "I've noticed. You've been acting strangely ever since your birthday. Have you figured out what was bothering you yet?" she asked, certain she knew what had been on her friend's mind, and fully hoping she was right.

"I think so, yes."

The green-eyed girl's smile widened. "Is it still a problem?"

"I'm not sure," came the reply.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Another pause. "No, not right now… I have a lot on my mind."

"Well, if you need to talk about it, you know I am always here for you."

Tomoyo smiled on the other end of the line. "I know. Arigatou Sakura-chan."

"That's okay. Did you want to talk about anything else?"

"No, I should go. I have homework to do still."

A knowing smile on her face, Sakura nodded. "All right then, I'll see you tomorrow Tomoyo-chan!"

"Hai, ja ne."

"Ja ne!"

The line clicked, and Sakura turned off the phone before turning to Kero, who had been patiently floating next to her the entire conversation.

"So?" he asked. "How are things progressing?"

Turning her gaze out the window to the rain, Sakura grinned. "The weather should be clearing up soon."

"Oh thank Kami for that!" Kero exclaimed as he floated back to his game, muttering under his breath about how it was about time and he'd never seen so much rain in his life, it was pathetic. Over on the bed, his mistress just giggled and lay back against her pillows happily. She had finally returned the favour.

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_More music! (giggles) For those who are interested, the second piece Eriol played was the theme from the movie **The Piano**, and it is called "The Heart Asks Pleasure First". It is, in my opinion, one of the most magnificent and most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. And yes, it's only about 1 minute and 30-odd seconds long, unfortunately. As for "Appassionata", that is seriously weird. Listen to it if you get the chance. It drives me crazy, it really does. (shakes in irritation just thinking about it) _

_All that stuff about ritual sacrifice is true, you'll know if you checked wikipedia. And if anyone is curious about why, with it being Clow's house, Tomoyo is relating everything to Eriol's personality it's not because they are similar - although they really are -it's because she doesn't see him as Clow's reincarnation... the key difference between her and Kaho in this fic._

_As for the pen-chewing and apple-core eating, well… even the best people have peculiarities – that's what makes them so much fun._

_Thanks to all my reviewers! (huggles them all)_

_**MoMo-ChAn1: **He is weird, but that's why we love him! Thanks for the review!_

_**Gundam M: **Good to know you like it. Thanks for reviewing!_

_**ChyrenusMushroom: **Eriol is much fun to write when he's flirting. And I'm not sure where the whole no-reply-to-reviewers thing came from, stupid as it really is, but it shouldn't stop anyone! Thanks for the review!_

_**ChielleAsaki: **Apart from the little bit I added to the end of this chapter, it's basically the same as when you beta-ed it. And since you think this is the best chapter so far, you get cookies! (hands over cookies) Ruby Moon/Nakuru is one of my favourite characters after all, mainly because tactless people are much fun to write! (glows from praise) Now hurry up and update Shukuen, I'm getting impatient! Thanks for reviewing!_

_**Particles of Sand: **YAY! Someone else who thinks I can write. I'm really not as good as other people, but I do my best. Thanks for the great review!_

_**Dana Daidouji: **Thanks, and thanks for reviewing! _

_**JusT LooKing ArounD: **I enjoy being appreciated! Thanks for the review!_

_**Azuremiko: **School-work can really be a pain, but don't worry about the late review. Glad you liked the flirting – that can only mean it was written convincingly, which is good because I don't get much practice. Hope you like this chapter too, and guess what? I have nearly finished your picture and you'll have it before Friday, PROMISE! Thanks for the review! Update your fics! shakes fist_

_And for those of you awaiting the final chapter to Before Dawn, sorry I am taking so long but this is a really difficult chapter. I should have it done before Christmas (ye Gods that sounds ages away) but don't hold your breath. I WILL finish it though! After the New Year I'll have a couple more CCS fics on their way, and not all E+T! S+S and T+Y fans be on the lookout!_

_Please review! Make it my late 21st birthday present? (looks hopeful)_


	9. Kouten

**Kuruizaku **_(to bloom out of season)_

_**Pairings:**E+T _

_**Content:** Angst, humour, romance, etc…_

_**Disclaimers: **There's a reason I don't own Card Captor Sakura – all hell would break loose._

_**A/N:** Confessions! Blushing! Wet weather! Part one of a two-part chapter._

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**Chapter Eight: Kouten **(stormy weather)

It had been nearly two months now since Eriol's return, and the weather was getting steadily worse. And considering its current unpredictability, one would assume that every person that chooses to walk to and from school would arm themselves with an umbrella or raincoat in case of rain. So it was strange, then, that of the entire student body, on this one very grey, threatening day, two students at Seijyo found that neither of them had prepared themselves for a turn of the weather.

One of them was sitting on a concrete bench near the music hall, waiting for his friend. He himself had just finished class duty, and because his partner for the day had been away it had taken him a little longer. Not a bad thing, since it meant less time waiting and staring at the depressingly dark clouds above him.

Sighing in relief, Syaoran looked over at the glass doors across the path as they opened and his friend dashed out.

"Sorry, Li-kun! Sensei took a little more convincing than normal to let me go early. Mou! It's fine for him, he has a _car_." Tomoyo pouted and crossed her arms.

Nodding, Syaoran got up. "Let's get going. The clouds won't hold much longer."

Quickening their pace, the headed down the street, idly conversing for a while. It took a while before Tomoyo had summoned enough courage to bring up the topic she had wanted to for so long.

"Ne… Li-kun?"

"Un?"

"I, uh, recently found out that someone likes me..."

Syaoran stopped dead in his tracks and clenched his fist. "Who?" he demanded.

Tomoyo waved her hand dismissively and gestured to continue walking. "I can't say, sorry."

He paused for a moment before speaking again. "Do you like them back?"

Silence, then, "Yes. I really do."

They continued walking for a while after that, not speaking, and it drove Tomoyo crazy. She was sure he would have said something already, but he just seemed to be deep in thought, frowning at the pavement. This was the first time that she had found herself liking one of her many admirers, after all. Manoeuvring around an elderly woman, she decided to break the silence but found Syaoran broke it before she could. "It's Hiiragizawa, isn't it?"

"Am I that obvious?" Tomoyo asked, a little startled.

"You do stare at him a lot," he replied, grinning at her embarrassed look. "I noticed ages ago. But it wasn't until I noticed him staring back that I really figured it out. Plus… you two flirt almost worse than Yamazaki-san and Mihara-san. _And_ you're on first name basis."

Tomoyo was getting pinker by the minute. "Oh…"

"Does he know you like him?"

Shaking her head, she whispered, "Iie."

"So… is he the one you were talking about? The 'ideal'?"

"Hai."

Syaoran was strangely silent then, and Tomoyo looked up from her study of the pavement with surprise at his lack of laughter. Instead, he appeared to be deep in thought. Finally, after a long minute of silence, he spoke.

"If he hurts you in any way, I know at least fifteen different methods of Chinese torture."

Tomoyo burst out laughing. "I'm sure that won't be necessary, but thank you for the thought."

He grinned in response. "So, when _are _you going to tell him?"

Shrugging, Tomoyo fiddled with the collar on her coat. "I… don't know."

"You _are_ going to tell him right?"

"I suppose."

"You should. As much as I hate to say it… you're perfect for each other. And at least you have the advantage of knowing he feels the same."

She smiled softly at the memory of Eriol's blush when he nearly confessed, and she nodded. "I guess I should tell him, then."

"You had better. Sakura will be furious if she finds out that I didn't relay her message."

Tomoyo nearly tripped. "_Sakura_! She knows _too_!"

"She's a lot smarter than people take her for. And she is amazingly insightful at times."

The dark haired girl stopped walking and smiled at her friend. "There will never be a day I will regret matchmaking you two. If ever there were two people meant for each other more…"

"Oh, shut up." Syaoran was blushing as he pushed her into action again.

They kept walking and chatting until Tomoyo halted on the corner of a random street and then glanced at the sky. "Do you think it will rain within the next half hour?"

"Probably. Why? You're nearly home."

"Oh, I am going to Eriol's today, didn't I tell you? We have to organise our costumes."

Syaoran frowned. "I'm walking you there, then."

"Don't be silly. You're close to your apartment, and the sooner you get home the better. If it rains, there's no point in us both getting wet."

"Your mother will kill me if I don't."

"She won't know! Honestly, Li-kun, I'll be fine. I walk here all the time. It only takes about twenty odd minutes."

Shaking his head stubbornly, the Chinese boy kept arguing. "Not going to happen, Daidouji-san."

"I'll be _fine_, Li-kun. Please trust me? Eriol is expecting me soon, if something happens he'll know. Besides, aren't you catching the bus to Sakura's in an hour?"

"Yes, but…"

She pushed him down the road. "GO! Don't want another reason for Touya to hate you, do you?"

"Fine. But you get there as SOON as possible. Run. And have your phone on the ready to call me if something happens. And _please_ don't let your mother find out!"

"Won't ever happen. Now go!"

Reluctantly, he nodded and waved goodbye before heading home. She turned and began crossing the road in the opposite direction, praying that the weather would hold out until she got there.

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"WAI! I love thunderstorms!"

Nakuru slid down the banister, candy flying out of the plastic cauldron 'she' carried, before crash landing on the ground in front of a rather amused teenager.

"Happy Halloween Eriol-sama!"

He reached down and picked up a candy. "And to you, Nakuru."

Spinel floated over. "Is Daidouji-san still coming, do you think?"

Glancing at the clock, Eriol shook his head. "No, I doubt it. She is smart enough that she would have gone straight home instead, with the weather as it is." Turning back to his moon guardian, the mage grinned. "Shall we make pumpkin candles? Practice for the party."

"WAI! The party is going to be so much FUN! Halloween is the best holiday, and we get to celebrate it TWICE!" Nakuru bounced up and down, more candy flying. Eriol took the cauldron from the creature and placed it on the ground.

"Let's go then."

--_DING DONG--_

"I'll get it!" Nakuru cried, bouncing towards the door with the cauldron again. "It might be trick or treat-ers!"

Eriol and Spinel shook their heads and headed for the kitchen.

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"TRICK OR TREAT!" Nakuru cried as 'she' pulled the door open.

"A-aren-n't I s-supp-p-osed to s-say th-that?" came the answer through chattering teeth.

Nakuru blinked in astonishment at the figure on the doorstep. It was Tomoyo, drenched from head to toe, shivering and looking a little perplexed.

"Tomoyo-chan!" Nakuru gasped. "What are you doing in the rain?"

Tomoyo opened her mouth to reply when a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and she flinched. Nakuru immediately grabbed her by the collar and yanked her inside the door, slamming it.

"ERIOL-SAMA!" the moon guardian yelled. "IT'S TOMOYO-CHAN! AND SHE'S ALL WET! GET TOWELS!"

Footsteps were heard running from the kitchen and within moments Eriol burst into the foyer.

"Nani? Tomoyo?" He took one look at her and then grabbed her hand and led her to the lounge, standing her in front of the fire. "What are you doing here? And in the rain? I thought you'd gone home!"

"I th-thought I could w-wait it out…" she began, but he placed a finger over her mouth briefly to quiet her. "Don't worry, forget I asked. Let's just get you warm and dry."

She barely had time to blush before she found herself surrounded by towels, and dimly heard Eriol tell Nakuru to find some spare pyjamas for Tomoyo and tell Spinel to run the bath. "And Nakuru," he added as an afterthought just before the guardian vanished upstairs, "make them decent pyjamas. Not your regular ones, they are completely impractical." Nakuru just laughed at that and took off.

Tomoyo meanwhile, looked at Eriol curiously. "Don't ask," he said seriously, seating her on the sheepskin rug before the fire. Lowering himself down next to her, he smiled warmly, albeit a little baffled. "What on Earth, Tomoyo?" She went a little pink and turned look at the fire, clutching the towels around her with one hand as she shivered slightly, but said nothing. Eriol shook his head softly, then reached and took her free hand in his. She looked at him, startled as a rush of warmth was sent straight up her arm and throughout her body. Within moments, she had stopped shivering.

Tomoyo blinked. "What did you just do?"

Eriol merely smiled his mysterious smile and answered "You were cold."

Minutes passed as they merely looked at each other, unable to think of anything to say. It wasn't until a clap of thunder startled them both out of their thoughts that either even realised that Eriol still held Tomoyo's hand in his, causing them both to blush. The phone rang moments later, and the dark haired girl spoke before Eriol could make a move to answer it.

"It's probably Syaoran, ringing to see if I am okay."

Eriol found himself strangely unsurprised to find she was correct, and handed her the phone.

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_So here we go, not long now. Hee hee, this is getting such fun. If anyone thinks I am writing anyone particularly out of character, let me know so I can attempt to fix it. Syaoran especially, since I have trouble with his character. Usually have to immerse myself in CCS and TRC manga to try and get it correct._

_Thanks everyone who reviewed last chapter, and bigger thanks to everyone who has stuck with this fic since the beginning. (hugs everyone and blows them all kisses) Special thanks to:_

_**Chielle: **nice idea, I'll see if that fits somewhere, but the story is nearly over don't forget :)_

_**Azuremiko: **This is my favourite chapter too. And Chielle's. A rare stroke of genius, it seems. (cough cough) Tomoyo and pen-chewing just seemed to work, tee hee. Patience O-great-one, the Halloween chapter approaches…:)_

_Soo… did no one discover that Eriol also has a little habit? A rather gross one… I was hoping someone would comment on it… (Chi, you don't count, you already OK'd it.) _

_Before Dawn is getting there _very slowly_. Please forgive my overwhelming slackness. My new E+T fic is started and should be up relatively soon, for all you over-eager fans._

_See the shiny button? Pretty button wants you to review! So does the author! (shakes fist)_


	10. Arashi

**Kuruizaku **_(to bloom out of season)_

_**Pairings: **E+T _

_**Content:** Angst, humour, romance, etc…_

_**Disclaimers: **There's a reason I don't own Card Captor Sakura – all hell would break loose._

_**A/N:** Blushing! Blue-kitty pyjamas! Part two of the two-part chapter._

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**Chapter Nine: Arashi** (tempest/storm)

Carefully holding the tray of mugs in his hands, he walked into the lounge and placed the tray on the table before the two, who were enjoying light conversation. Eriol noticed with a smile that Spinel had settled himself on Tomoyo's lap again, and was purring contentedly like any other cat under her gentle stroking. Taking a mug of chocolate, he looked up and handed it to Tomoyo, nearly dropping it on her when he realised what she was wearing.

Thankfully, she caught his hand and the mug just in time, causing a small blush to appear on his cheeks as their skin came into contact. She smiled at him, that soft, amused smile. "Careful, Eriol. It's hot, you wouldn't want to spill it." She was mocking him! He swallowed and gave her a mock glare for a moment, pushing to the back of his mind the fact that she was wearing his pyjamas.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, steering the conversation elsewhere as he handed Nakuru her drink.

"Fine, now. Sleepy…" she said, proving her point as she yawned. "Thank you for the drink. I am sorry to inconvenience you like this. I doubt we'll get any work done."

"Don't worry about it, we still have plenty of time."

"Oh! Does this mean you won't be stealing Tomoyo-chan and keeping her all to yourself, this time!" Nakuru piped in.

Eriol went pink again, and rolled his eyes at the moon guardian. Tomoyo giggled softly, and blew on her drink. "Gomen, Nakuru-san, but the rain took a lot out of me. I think I'd rather just get some sleep, if you don't mind."

A gasp. "But Tomoyo-chan! Your hair is still quite wet! We don't want you catching a cold, do we Eriol?"

"Of course not. I doubt Daidouji-san would ever forgive me if I brought her daughter home with the flu. She would undoubtedly have me castrated for not taking care of you properly," the mage grinned.

"Oh, of course! Mother will be worried about me! She was very reluctant to let me walk here, and when the storm hit so suddenly, well… I have to let her know I am okay, not to mention I'll be here overnight." Tomoyo turned to Eriol, her mug cradled in her hands. "Do you think I could borrow your phone?"

"But TOMOYO-CHAN!" cried Nakuru. "The phone lines are down, remember?"

It was true – halfway through reassuring Syaoran she had gotten there safely and she'd be okay, the lines had cut out. Tomoyo looked worried.

Eriol was forced to counteract. "Nonsense, Nakuru, of course she can phone her mother. What is the point in having magic if you can't use it in certain circumstances?" he winked, and got up to get the cordless.

"Arigatou, Eriol," Tomoyo smiled softly as he handed her the phone. He smiled back, and she turned to see the phone glowing softly. Eying it warily, she dialled home. While she talked, Nakuru bounded up the stairs to get the hairdryer, and Eriol gathered up the empty mugs and carried them back to the kitchen.

As he wandered back to the lounge, he stood in the doorway and watched her, quietly, as she spoke to her stressed mother. Yes, she had gotten caught in the storm, but yes, she was fine. No, she wouldn't be home tonight, she was staying with Eriol. No, she wouldn't be sleeping in the same room as him. No, there wasn't any point in risking the car getting caught in the flooding streets just to get her. Yes, she would be absolutely safe. Yes, she would be home tomorrow. Yes, she would ring in the morning, before she left. No, she wasn't sure why the phones were suddenly working. Yes, she would be FINE.

Eriol smiled to himself before realising he was gazing at her, from her damp hair that was piled on her head, to the smooth curve of her neck. And she was wearing his pyjamas. He wasn't sure whether that made him embarrassed because he had worn them, or because they were the ones with little cats all over them. Flustered, he closed his eyes and calmed himself down, alert again when he heard the beep of the phone conversation ending. He walked back over to the couch and sat next to her, taking the phone as she handed it back to him and thanked him again.

The silence between them was strangely tense. He couldn't fathom why, considering they usually got along so well. But thankfully, it was broken within moments by the thundering of Nakuru down the stairs, hairdryer in one hand and comb in the other. Both watched as the moon guardian slid down the banister of the final flight of stairs.

"WHEEEEE!"

Spinel was woken with a start, and darted upstairs like a shot. Nakuru watched him go with a startled expression. "_Mou_! You'd think the mere sight of me gives him a fright!" The guardian shrugged, and turned to Tomoyo, jumping into the gap between her and Eriol and handing him the plug expectantly. He rolled his eyes, then got up, plugged it in at the wall and touched the wall socket until it glowed.

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It would have been a good ten minutes of the guardian cooing over her hair before Tomoyo finally managed to convince Nakuru her hair was dry enough, and she just wanted to sleep. Eriol approached before his creation could try and persuade a cookie-making bonanza.

"Shall I show you to your room, then?"

Nodding, Tomoyo rose from the couch and followed him with a yawn. After about five minutes of traversing the hallways of his mansion, he finally stopped in front of a large door, and opened it. "Here we are."

Tomoyo looked inside, silent for a moment, then turned to face him. "…Eriol?"

"Hmm? Something wrong?"

"You live in a mansion. A _mansion_. There must be half a dozen guestrooms, so _why_ are you offering me _your_ bedroom?"

Eriol smirked. "Because you are a guest."

She narrowed her eyes, pointing her finger at him. "Hence, _guestroom_."

"One of which I shall occupy. Goodnight." He turned to leave, but knew he wouldn't get far. He hadn't made it two steps before her voice stopped him.

"Not so fast, Eriol," she growled. "I insist you take me to a different room."

He looked mock-offended. "Is mine not satisfactory?"

Tomoyo looked a little exasperated. "It's your personal space!" she said, going a little pink.

He grinned in response. "So is my lounge, my kitchen, my library, my music room, my garden…" he counted each one off with his fingers. "All of which you have 'occupied' as of late."

"Don't get smart to me," she glared.

He gave her his Cheshire grin. "I wouldn't dare."

"Please, Eriol!" Eriol raised his eyebrow, but shook his head. "Well then name ONE good reason why I should sleep here, or I will go home."

Nakuru, who had been watching the sparring match with interest, gasped. "TOMOYO-CHAN! In _this_ storm!"

Eriol, meanwhile, ignored the moon guardian and thought for a second before answering. "Because it is the only bedroom in which the fireplace has already been lit."

"Another can easily be lit," she retorted.

"The room is already heated," he counteracted.

"I'll sleep on the couch then!"

"I'll use my magic and float you back up here."

She narrowed her eyes. "Well, then, if we can bring magic into this, why don't you just 'magically' heat up one of the guestrooms?"

Eriol smirked. "Touché."

"TEN POINTS FOR TOMOYO-CHAN!" Nakuru cheered.

"But," Eriol continued, "what if I refuse to?"

"I'll walk home, like I said."

Eriol just looked at her. "Tomoyo, it is not only pouring AND freezing cold outside, the wind is blowing a gale. Do you really want to walk home in that, after you promised your mother you would be safe?"

Tomoyo raised an eyebrow. "Then stop the storm."

"I'm not THAT powerful, Tomoyo." They stared each other down for almost a minute before he spoke again, breaking eye contact briefly. He shook his head, smiling. "Really, Tomoyo-san, I'm sorry, but you should know better than to argue with a magician."

Confusion flickered in her eyes for a second, followed by a flash of outrage as he raised his hand and commanded her to sleep. He caught her as she fell forward, and he sighed.

"Cheat," Nakuru huffed, storming away.

Eriol lifted Tomoyo and carried her awkwardly into the bedroom. Gently depositing her on the bed, he drew the blankets up to her chin, and watched her sleep for a good ten minutes before tearing himself away and shutting the door softly behind him.

Spinel floated in the air before him, an accusing look on his face. "You intended to do that all along."

Eriol smiled to himself. "Yes, I did."

The sun guardian paused before floating away, and looked at his master curiously. "Why did it have to be your room?"

Eriol looked at the door behind him wistfully, and spoke almost too softly for Spinel to hear. "It's where she belongs."

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_Thanks everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I will be getting the next few chapters up within short amounts of time, so be on the lookout. They are basically all written already! Hee hee…_

_The more the reviews the sooner I post, mwa ha:)_


	11. Amayami

**Kuruizaku **_(to bloom out of season)_

_**Pairings: **E+T _

_**Content:** Angst, humour, romance, etc…_

_**Disclaimers: **There's a reason I don't own Card Captor Sakura – all hell would break loose._

_**A/N:** This chapter has been changed quite a bit, so if you find something doesn't make sense I probably missed it - let me know okay?  
_

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**Chapter Ten: Amayami **(break in the rain)

It was the sound of birds outside that woke her. Stirring, she blinked against the soft light that filtered into the room, and then buried her head into the pillow, refusing to get up yet. Inhaling deeply, she woke with a start as the scent of fresh laundry invaded her nostrils. She sat up with a start, briefly wondering what happened to the usual scent of lavender. And then it hit her…

Tomoyo wasn't in her own room. Nor was she in her own mansion. Or in her own pyjamas… The previous night's events flooded back and she nearly hid in the pillow again before she remembered the reason she had stopped that in the first place.

With a sigh, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and touched her feet to the soft carpet, marching over to the window to pull the heavy drapes back. Soft morning light filled the room and kissed her skin, calming her embarrassment and anger. For a long time she stood there, fists clenched, eyes closed, breathing deeply as she tried to control the unwelcome thoughts that fought to make themselves known.

_You spent the night in his bed,_ she thought, failing miserably in not thinking about it. _In **his **bed, in **his** pyjamas… _

Ready to scream, Tomoyo opened her eyes and caught her reflection in the window. Her hair was tousled and wild from being left out all night while still damp. The shirt was hanging haphazardly off her shoulder, and the top button had come undone. Blushing furiously, she attempted to straighten herself up, despite knowing nobody could see her.

Once satisfied enough, she focused on the actual scene outside the window. The storm from the night before had left it mark on the streets beyond the walls of Eriol's property – twigs and leaves clogged the gutters, causing the remaining streams of water to spread onto the streets. The trees looked even more bare and skeletal, and the sky, despite the thinner clouds, still held a dark ominous look.

And yet… sprawled right below the balcony was Eriol's garden, which looked almost untouched compared to the chaos on the streets. Leaves scattered themselves on the grass, but more or less in orderly circles around the trees they had fallen from. The camellias bloomed happily, bursts of vivid colour amongst the greenery and orange-red leaves. Dew sparkled on the bushes and lawn, and bejewelled the cobwebs that somehow had survived the tempest of the night before. In the surrounding gloom, it looked like Eden.

Tomoyo raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

Moving away from the window, she looked around the room. It was comfortably furnished and tastefully decorated in a very western style. The coverlet was a deep royal blue, matching the drapes and the curtain that fell around it. All the wooden furniture appeared to be deeply varnished oak, and matched the walls. Casting a glance back to the bed, she caught sight of a photo frame perched on the bedside table. Curious, she walked over and looked at it. To her surprise, it was of the group of them – Sakura, Li, Chiharu, Yamazaki, Rika, Naoko, Eriol, and herself – back in grade school when they had gone on the trip to the pools. The day that Eriol had tested Sakura and caused her to change the watery card. She remembered the photo being taken, Sakura had asked Terada-sensei to take it for her. She must have given Eriol a copy… but why was it next to his bed?

Puzzled, Tomoyo shrugged and put it back. She noticed her hair still smelt like rainwater, and sighed. Noticing a smaller door, she headed over and opened it to find a lavish bathroom and smiled in satisfaction.

o0o

Rubbing her hair with a towel, Tomoyo tightened the other towel around her and picked up the pyjamas, heading for the door. She opened it and froze. Standing before her, a bundle of clothes in one arm, his spare hand poised to knock on the bathroom door, was Eriol. Giving a small startled shriek she spun around.

Eriol wasn't sure whether it was the heat of his blush or the remaining steam from the shower, but his glasses immediately steamed up. He immediately followed suit and turned around to walk over to the bed, thankful he knew his room well enough to not walk into anything.

"Gomen!" he called over his shoulder as he placed the clothes down on the duvet. "I was about to tell you I would leave you some clothes outside the bathroom, and… well, either way, these belong to Nakuru because I discovered your uniform should have been washed rather than just dried – an oversight on my part, I apologise – and so they are in the machine now and should be ready before you head home." He paused for a breath and willed himself to stop babbling.

"Oh, and breakfast will be ready in about five minutes."

From her hiding place behind the doorframe, Tomoyo peeped out to see him practically flee his own bedroom, and in spite of her own blush she giggled softly.

Seven minutes later Tomoyo headed down the staircase, braiding her hair back loosely. The clothes she wore weren't a perfect fit, but at least they weren't Eriol's blue kitten pyjamas. She smiled to herself at the memory of them, knowing she had more than one means of bribing him in the future. As for more recent embarrassing events, well… she had spent a good part of the seven minutes calming herself down. Straightening the red skirt, she paused some distance from the kitchen door and took a deep breath before entering the kitchen.

She smiled at the scene in front of her. Spinel hid from his master and Nakuru on the top of the highest shelf, watching her lazily. Nakuru wore a frilly pink apron and was merrily singing the Pita Ten theme as she flipped pancakes over the stove. Eriol himself was pouring hot chocolate into three mugs, and looked up when he felt her gaze on him. Flashing an apologetic smile her way, she narrowed her eyes at him but smiled nonetheless.

Nakuru twirled around and saw her, squealing happily. "Tomoyo-chan! Good morning! We have chocolate chip, blueberry AND regular pancakes! What would you like!" she pulled out a chair at the table and motioned for Tomoyo to sit.

"Blueberry please," Tomoyo replied, taking a seat.

Nakuru nodded, then giggled. "You are wearing my clothes, Tomoyo-chan! It's like we are dating!"

Eriol rolled his eyes at the remark, and handed Tomoyo a hot chocolate. She smiled at him.

Nakuru continued cheerfully. "Although, since you wore Eriol's pyjamas last night, _AND _slept in-" she was forced to shut up as Eriol shoved a pancake in her mouth and handed a plate to his guest, fighting a blush.

She laughed softly and thanked him, also pink. He walked past her to place his own plate on the bench and faltered momentarily as he caught the scent of his shampoo in from her hair. The effect it had on him was instantaneous and overwhelming, and it threw him for a few moments. It just seemed so… right? (1)

Steeling his mind against the turmoil, he gripped the edge of the bench and squeezed his eyes shut. What had brought that on? He didn't realise, of course, that despite the chattering of Nakuru and Tomoyo in the background, that he was being watched. Spinel floated down to his master, who was currently shaking his head in an attempt to force the thought from his mind.

"Master? Are you alright?"

Eriol's eyes flew open to meet those of his sun guardian. The small black cat seemed to have some understanding of the mage's dilemma however, despite his question, due to the smirk on his face.

Glaring at the flying cat, Eriol watched as it flew away, chuckling.

o0o

_Knock knock._

"Are you ready, Tomoyo-chan? Do you're clothes feel nice? I used the vanilla scented fabric softener. Do your clothes smell like vanilla, Tomoyo-chan?"

Laughing softly, she opened the door and nodded. "My clothes smell wonderful, Nakuru, thank you."

Eriol handed Tomoyo her coat, which had been 'magically' dry-cleaned.

"Thank you, Eriol."

"Shall I escort you home? The weather should stay calm, but I will bring an umbrella just in case."

"That would be nice."

After a loud and enthusiastic farewell from Nakuru, he led Tomoyo down the street, using the umbrella as a stick to knock twigs and various bits of debris out of the way as they walked. The trip was unnervingly silent. As they cut through a shrine, Eriol glanced up at the pagoda they were passing and immediately blushed, looking away when Tomoyo gave him a querying look.

It wasn't until her house was in sight that she spoke.

"…Eriol?"

"Yes, Tomoyo?"

"Can I just ask you… _why_ is it you insisted upon me sleeping in your bedroom?" she asked, her cheeks tinting a soft rose.

Eriol was silent for a moment, thinking carefully before he answered. "Because," he shrugged, "It was the nicest bed in the house."

She looked at him quizzically, and a little doubtfully, but didn't say anything else. She stopped, instead, and looked at the gates to her house, silent.

"Don't worry," Eriol added, "The sheets were clean."

He watched as Tomoyo's expression went from alarmed, to blushing, until she began to laugh. He joined in, glad to break the tense silence. After a long minute of increased hysterics, Tomoyo wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at him, attempting composure. "Thank you, Eriol, for walking me home."

"Anytime," he said, and with a graceful bow, took her hand and kissed the back of it, delighted at the shade of pink she went. He took a firm hold of his umbrella, then turned to go when she stopped him.

"Eriol!"

He looked back at her. "Hmm?"

"About last night… you may be a magician, but you're a sore loser." She winked, and disappeared inside the gate.

Chuckling, he turned and walked away. "Indeed."

o0o

o0o0o

o0o

_(1) I hate that line, but couldn't for the life of me find a better way to put it. So I apologise for its overwhelming cheesiness. _

_Okay, sorry that one took so long but I just moved (again) and am still taking a while getting up and running with computers and internet and stuff. Don't sue. _

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and the next chapter is nearly finished. I was wrong when I said it was, because I was a bit ahead of myself. It'll be up soon, I hope! Before Dawn is to be finished by the end of next month – that is my personal deadline – so keep an eye out!_

"_Frooo-ty oatey bars, make a man out of a mouse… froo-ty oatey bars, make you bust out of your blouse!" (Be my friend, and identify the origin of this song! I shall reward you with a drawing from any scene from this story so far! HAR HARRR! Now you HAVE to review to get it!)_


	12. Seigetsu

**Kuruizaku **_(to bloom out of season)_

_**Pairings: **E+T _

_**Content:** Angst, humour, romance, etc…_

_**Disclaimers: **If I owned CCS, fans would kill me due to my slack nature and take over._

_**A/N:** Picnic, bouncy Nakuru, and THAT finally happens… o-ho-ho…_

o0o

o0o0o 

o0o

**Chapter Eleven : Seigetsu** (moon shining in a rain-cleansed sky)

Eriol watched, amused, as Nakuru chased bees across the grass in the park. Next to him, Tomoyo was laughing softly and holding a happily purring Spinel in her lap. The weather, despite still being somewhat chilly, had fined up over the past week and Nakuru had insisted upon a picnic before the weather got any worse. Eriol would have liked to think Nakuru was the reason behind Tomoyo's presence also, but in truth he was the one determined she join them – Nakuru had only given wholehearted approval. And Spinel was hardly protesting. The whole scene around him was eerily domestic and alarmingly intimate, and despite this Eriol had never felt more content.

But the picnic was long over, and the shadows slowly lengthened across their blanket. Sighing to himself, the mage began to put away the cups and plates.

"Can I help you with that?"

He glanced at the soft smile on Tomoyo's face as she watched him, awaiting an answer, and he shook his head. "I'm fine… there isn't much left to do."

"If you're sure."

Fastening the ties on the basket, he turned back to see her watching him with that same smile on her face, and he smiled back before turning to see where Nakuru had ended up.

Ten minutes later he had managed to drag Nakuru from somersaulting around the gardens and the four of them headed down the path, the bouncy redhead a few paces in front swinging the basket back and forth and singing Mary Poppins - much to Spinel's distaste.

"It looks like rain," Tomoyo's soft voice mused, and he broke his gaze on his frolicking guardian to follow her eyes at the skies above them where dark clouds were gathering. He frowned.

"Good thing we're leaving, then."

They continued in silence for a while longer, but his mind was a jumble. For a while neither spoke, and Tomoyo hummed softly to herself while he admired the scenery. And then suddenly, he stopped.

Tomoyo turned to look at him, tilting her head in silent query. When he continued to stare at the ground, she moved closer in concern. "Eriol? Daijobu…" Her voice trailed off as she noticed how pale he was. "Eriol!"

He lifted his head and tried to ignore the feeling of deja-vu that had rapidly washed over him. Unable to speak, he looked into Tomoyo's worried face for a long moment.

The downpour was heralded by only a second of drizzle, leaving the two drenched and startled. What startled Eriol more was when Tomoyo cussed under her breath and grabbed his hand, dragging him to the nearby pagoda. "Rain has no decency!" she grumbled.

Amused and alarmed, Eriol raised an eyebrow. "Did I just hear the ever polite Daidouji Tomoyo use an expletive?"

Blushing, she ignored him and began flicking the water off herself in distaste. Seconds later she was looking at him again, concern still evident. "What happened? You looked so… troubled all of a sudden, and-"

A careless wave of his hand halted her speech. "I'm fine, Tomoyo. I just… it was nothing."

"You can tell me," she insisted, all seriousness.

A long moment passed as they just watched each other, silent as the steady stream of rain fell around them. Then finally, he spoke.

"I… it's stupid, but… the willow."

"What about it?"

"It... reminded me of…"

Tomoyo smiled gently. "I understand. Do you want to talk about it?"

He was silent, then, "It just… it holds memories I'd rather forget."

"Why?"

Eriol blinked. "Nani?"

"Why forget them? Eriol, she was your first love. She'll always be a part of your life whether you like it or not. She's important to you, she's the reason you're here now, and who you are now. It's silly to try and forget what is such a large part of you." She took his hand reassuringly, and continued. "Don't think back on the experience as a negative, but a positive. You'll only waste your life if you continue to hold bitterness for something that, while it lasted, was beautiful in itself and made you happy."

Eriol just looked at her, stunned. Tomoyo promptly blushed, and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I had no right-"

"No. No, Tomoyo, you're _completely _right. I, of all people, should have known that… it just…"

"It still hurts?"

He nodded, looking down.

She squeezed his hand. "It always will, a little bit."

With his eyes shut and his mind in turmoil, he wasn't even aware she had moved until he felt warm arms around him, and he found himself relaxed almost immediately. "But I'm sure you'll be all right," she whispered in his ear. And with a smile, he found himself agreeing with her as he returned the embrace.

A giggle interrupted them, and they moved apart to find Nakuru and Spinel on the steps of the pagoda watching them. The rain had cleared while they had been so immersed in the comforting stance, and patches of blue sky were showing in the distance.

"Go Tomoyo-chan!" Nakuru cheered happily. "You fixed the weather!"

Confused, the dark-haired girl looked at Eriol for an explanation but he merely waved it off. "Let's go."

The four of them moved towards the path once more, their pace a little slower this time, but before they got too far Tomoyo pulled Eriol aside, not caring if the two guardians noticed. "Please, don't ever feel like you can't tell me something. I may not always understand, but I still want to help." She lowered her eyes momentarily. "I don't like seeing you upset."

Eriol caught her eyes again and smiled warmly at her. "Thank you, Tomoyo. I'll remember that."

Tomoyo gave a smile in return. "Be sure you do."

And she kissed him.

o0o

o0o0o

o0o

"…Eriol?"

A shadow passed over the English boy's face, and he glanced up at the object in question then snickered. "That's not mine, honest. I believe Nakuru was the one who coerced me into purchasing that at a thrift store. Julio Iglesias is far from my taste."

Tomoyo giggled, and replaced the record to where she had found it. The two of them sat in the pile of large cushions that inhabited Eriol's library – their favourite spot. She was sitting cross-legged as she flipped through his dusty record collection in search of some appropriate music for the party, which was itself less than a week away, while Eriol lay with his head in her lap, scribbling down the list of things left to do. Twice she had noticed he had stopped writing and was contentedly staring up at her, but neither time had she stopped him despite knowing he was well aware that she had noticed. She rather enjoyed it.

Smiling to herself, she flipped past a few more records before coming across an entirely black sleeve with two cat eyes on it. She pulled it out and held it in front of his eyes. "_Cats_?"

He laughed softly. "Not unless you want to decorate the mansion like a dumpster yard." She blinked in response. "_Cats_ is a famous musical in England… it's… a tad over-dramatic and all about street-cats."

"I take it that means no?"

"No," he confirmed.

Shrugging, she put it back and kept flipping until she came across Beethoven's _Appassionata._ She groaned to herself, causing him to glance over at what she'd found, and laugh. "You really don't like that sonata do you? I'll have to keep playing it until you do. You'll soon be a convert to Beethoven appreciation!"

"I'm sure I will be, you with your wily ways. But I'll always remember how you forced me into it."

Eriol just laughed again before turning back to his list. Tapping his pen against the paper, he frowned slightly. "Tomoyo?"

"Mm?"

"What have you decided your costume will be?"

She was silent for a moment. "Actually, I haven't. I've been so busy with Sakura's... What about you?"

"I've no idea either." He grinned at her. "We're both a tad slack aren't we?"

Tomoyo giggled. "Have you any ideas?"

"No," he shook his head. "You?"

"Some. I was thinking about it earlier this week. What do you think about a sorceress?"

Eriol sat up and took a gulp of his soda, considering her suggestion with a wicked smile as he did. "If anyone can pull it off, it would be you. What kind of costume were you thinking?"

"I'd like it to be daring… it is a costume after all, no point in only going halfway." She looked thoughtful. "Maybe with an Eastern influence? I'd like it to be exotic."

Eriol raised an eyebrow. "In what way?"

Shrugging, Tomoyo chewed her lip. "Elaborate decorations, incredibly detailed silks, with a kimono style basis…" a glint appeared in her eye as she continued teasingly. "I could even add a couple of large revealing slits along the sides, and lower the neckline… add some lace…"

Eriol promptly choked on his drink.

"Eriol! Are you alright?"

Coughing, he nodded. "F-fine-" he gasped out.

"Are you sure? You look awfully pale."

"Just… went down the -_cough-_ wrong way," he waved her off, but she didn't miss the somewhat disturbed look that he'd worn briefly. Wisely deciding to steer clear of that costume idea, she quickly thought up another.

"Well, er… what about… a cat?"

Eriol blinked at her. "A cat…"

She grinned wickedly. "You seem to have a fondness for black cats, don't you?" Oh, how she enjoyed watching him go red.

"You realise that if I'd had any choice in that, you wouldn't have ended up in those. But Nakuru's sleepwear would have been a rather worse choice. There was reason I insisted on anything else."

Tomoyo just giggled. "It's okay, Eriol. If it helps, they were very comfortable pyjamas." He flushed again, and she turned back to the records amusedly. Eriol scooted over next to her and continued to write his list, seemingly unaware of the faint blush that stole up the girl's face as he pressed against her side. Determined not to be distracted, she continued flipping through the record collection. Nothing caught her eye until she spotted a small record in a plain paper sleeve. Curiosity getting the best of her, she pulled it out of the box and read the writing on the record itself out loud. "The Flamingoes. I only have eyes for you."

Eriol sat up straighter, eyes alight. "Really? I don't recall ever buying that… it must have been Clow's…" He reached out and took it from her, tracing his fingers over the faded paper.

"You know it?"

"I _love _it. Here – I'll play it for you." He pulled the record single from the sleeve and leaned over to the small gramophone across from them, not noticing the small piece of paper that fell from the sleeve. But Tomoyo saw it. Gingerly, she plucked it from the floor where it fell and unfolded it.

Music began to fill the room, and Eriol smiled nostalgically at the tune before turning to find Tomoyo enthralled by something written on old notepaper.

"Tomoyo?"

Blinking, she handed it to him, and he read it out softly. " '_And the day came when the risk it took to remain inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.' _"Eriol frowned slightly. "That's strange… this isn't even Clow's writing…"

"It's beautiful, whoever wrote it."

"Indeed." Eriol was silent for a moment before he handed it back to her. "Here, you can keep it."

"Are you sure? You don't want to figure out who wrote it?"

Eriol shook his head. "No, I don't like delving into the past any more than I need to. It… makes me feel…"

"Less human?" Tomoyo guessed.

Eriol gazed at her in appreciation. "You're amazingly insightful, you know that?" She went a little pink, but leaned forward to kiss him softly.

"I'm more accurate with the people I love."

With a grin, he pulled her into his arms and spun her, before pulling her close again. And with her head resting on his shoulder, they danced out the rest of the song in the late afternoon light.

o0o

o0o0o

o0o

_Okay, I seriously apologise for the temporary hiatus – it's terrible of me. But in all honesty, this was the hardest chapter to write for me. Also, I think I'm slowly getting out of the fanfic world. But no fear, I PROMISE I shall finish this before I do. _

_To those of you who have stuck around, you rule. And Gwendoline? You won, what piece of the story do you want a picture for?_

_Last of all, I require help from you to write the next chapter. 1) I need ideas for people's Halloween costumes (yes, we are finally there!), and 2) if you have any other ideas for the party, I'd love to hear them. My muse is fading fast. HELP!_

_Thanks again, guys. Oh and check out my flame. It cracks me up :) _


	13. Hakkou

**Kuruizaku **_(to bloom out of season)_

_**Pairings:**__ExT__, and guess the others ;)_

_**Content:**__ Angst, humour, romance, etc…_

_**Disclaimers: **__There's a reason I don't own Card Captor Sakura – all hell would break loose._

_**A/N:**__ anti-mainstream Halloween-ness, fake gore, scary stories, and subtle dirty humour (because I can)._

oOo

oOoOo

oOo

**Chapter Twelve : ****Hakkou **(rare white rainbow)

Everything had been going perfectly.

After long discussions and arguments and failed attempts (using as little magic as possible will always create difficulty), the mansion had finally been transformed into… well, a mansion. The irony of it all didn't escape either of them, and they'd spent a good hour or so chuckling over it. Yet, as terribly clichéd as the idea was, it had worked brilliantly. By simply adding flickering candlelight and heavy drapes dank with dust and cobwebs, the place looked delightfully derelict. Winding stairways – some real, some fake – vanished into darkness above their heads, the only lit stairwell leading to the mezzanine floor where the occasional chair and table set (a few decrepit and cobwebbed) could be found, allowing small groups to sit away from the crowd. Unnervingly realistic (but fake, of course) insects and rodents were spread out and hidden in places that made them difficult to spot… at first. For the more horror inclined, a hallway led off underneath the main stairwell to a series of rooms containing varying levels of gross. The further one explored this maze, the worse it got. For those looking for fright, another hallway upstairs led to a room designed to leave you shaking (an effect that couldn't have been achieved without a decent amount of magic). Lastly, a harpsichord played classical pieces in the background, echoing out from an unknown room somewhere in the mansion. All in all, the place used up a small portion of the mansion without encroaching on Eriol's personal space, and still made the place appear endlessly huge.

Perfect.

The smell of the food strongly contrasted its appearance. Nakuru and Eriol had delighted in creating many a gory snack or sweet, with such attention to detail one would almost be reluctant to ruin them in consumption… so long as they weren't already put off from the resemblance to things like eyeballs, ears, and various limbs. (As an afterthought to seeing the food, Tomoyo had insisted upon several large and easily spotted signs directing to the closest bathroom.)

Perfect.

Her costume had come last, so had been rather hurried, and in her frustrated haste she had nearly thrown her sewing machine across the room. Thankfully Eriol had stopped her and finished the dress off while she collapsed in an exhausted heap. She had woken to the day of the event, roused by the smell of Eggs Benedict wafting off the plate next to her, to find her dress hanging off the mannequin before her, finished, and… well…

…perfect.

And here she was, in full dress, watching her classmates from the mezzanine as they explored the mansion to its fullest. Many were gazing in awe at the size of Eriol's mansion. _'Ooohs'_ and _'aaahs' _and _'he must be LOADED!' _could be heard threading through the buzz of conversation. Others of her class could be heard emitting varying exclamations at the foodstuffs and levels of gore in the ground level rooms. Squeals emitted from the room behind her as the door slammed close of its own accord. Tomoyo knew full well what happened from there on – shifting shadows, whispers in ears, feather-light touches, scratching, blood curdling screams…

Perfect. Everything was perfect. Well, _almost _everything.

There were two problems with tonight, so far. The first had been the unfortunate realisation that maybe leaving Eriol to finish her dress hadn't been such a good plan: the neck had mysteriously lowered itself (which she hadn't noticed until it was too late to fix); and there was also an unnecessarily high slit up the left leg, barely redeemed by the gauzy fabric that made up the top layer of the dress. She couldn't really berate him for the decorative license, however, as the top layer of the dress had been intricately embroidered with gold thread to create sporadic patterns of leaves and vines. On top of that, he'd presented her with a gold comb, decorated with narcissus flowers and crystals.

She had a sneaking suspicion magic had been involved, but said nothing of it.

She smiled secretly to herself, remembering his expression when he'd seen her in full dress. He'd recovered in good time then stared thoughtfully at her costume for a full minute before deciding what was missing, and conjured up a pomegranate before tossing it at her. She still had it now, hours later, and rolled it idly in her hand.

But the costume, well… the expression on the faces of the males in her class upon witnessing it had been unnerving, to say the least. She didn't enjoy being ogled, and although the party had only been going for just over an hour she was seriously considering changing. What made it worse was that the moment she opened the door to let her friends in, the one person she had hoped would defend her honour and stare down any gawkers turned into a gawker himself. That move had, of course, promptly earned him an irritated punch in the arm from Sakura. A similar punishment was dealt out on Yamazaki, also. Tomoyo had then pushed the boys in the direction of the refreshments table and apologised to her friends profusely. But both girls had laughed it off and pointed in the direction of the punch table, where Nakuru could be seen in a far more revealing costume. And surrounding her were a vast majority of their male classmates, blushing and staring. In fact, a handful of them were still there now. Tomoyo rolled her eyes and mused over the possible reason Eriol decided to create such a reckless flirt.

Which of course, brought her to problem two.

Everyone was here. Everyone was having fun. So where the hell _was_ he?? Tomoyo had hours invested in this event, and damn it, he wasn't going to ruin it!

oOo

"… the woman was terrified – everything was going wrong! She couldn't take it anymore, so in desperation she locked herself in her apartment and opened the tube one last time. 'Please!' she cried. 'I wish for you to take this all away!'

"There was only silence, stillness and fear, and in that moment she thought that as a last cruel twist of fate the wish would not be granted… that maybe they had _never _been granted, that she had actually committed the crimes she was accused of and imagined the whole thing. But no sooner had the thought crossed her mind the monkey paw sprang into the air, fingers intact, and seized her throat.

"As it choked the air from her lungs and she began to fade, she realised, dimly, what she had done. But it could not ever be reversed. Days later her body was found, unmarked and unmoving on her apartment floor…

"… and no tube, nor monkey paw, was ever found."

In a loud rush, held breaths were released, and clapping promptly followed from all but two of her audience – Takiyaha-hime was hiding behind Mitsukuni, who himself looked a little white.

"That was an awesome story, Naoko!" cried the jorougumo, her brushing a web from her face. "So creepy! Did you make it up?"

The yūrei shook her head. "It's in a book I got recently."

"That wasn't awesome, it was horrible!" Takiyasha-hime looked appalled. "The poor woman _died_!"

Laughter. "Sakura, the story isn't _real_ you know."

"Actually," the skeleton began, "the countless legends of monkey paws _are _real. They originated in Persia, where people who did foul deeds were turned into monkeys as punishment. However, one of those people was a powerful magician who, despite not being able to turn himself back, still cursed anyone who came near him. The only way to stop him was to chop off his paws and cut out his heart. But even then the paws dealt out their punishment, and would crawl into the windows of--"

Yamazaki's delightfully creepy twitching fingers halted as his story was cut short by a playful punch. "_I'll _choke the air from your lungs if you don't quit it," Chiharu rolled her eyes.

He replied with an exaggerated sigh. "You're no fun. Can I get you a drink?"

"Yes please." Without another word he bounded off to the refreshments table. She smiled after him, shaking her head.

Laughing, the kitsune tucked a red curl behind her air. "One of these days he might actually be serious Chiharu, and you'll be throttling that truth away."

Chiharu snorted. "We _are _talking about Takashi. He lives to tell untruths."

Smiling, Rika shrugged. "Maybe he'll grow out of it."

"Why would I want to?" Yamazaki appeared again and handed one of the glasses he carried to Chiharu, before offering an 'eyeball' on a stick. At her disgusted face, he shrugged and popped it in his mouth, chewing experimentally before swallowing and turning back to Naoko.

"Do you have any more stories to tell us?"

"Of course I do! But I left my book upstairs in my bag." She turned to Sakura. "Which room were our things left in?"

Sakura blanched. "I wouldn't know, sorry!"

Shrugging, Naoko stood up. "I'll see if I can find Eriol. He was going to loan me some books anyway." Her eyes darted around the room in an attempt to locate him, but without luck. "Maybe he's upstairs… I'll be back in a bit."

"Don't get lost!" Yamazaki joked. Laughing, she headed up the stairs in search of their elusive host, pausing occasionally to admire the detail in the decoration.

Unfortunately, within minutes she was very much lost and immensely irritated about it. Frustrated, she chose a hallway that was lit and headed down, trying various doors along the way. "He couldn't have made a sign for it, could he?" she muttered under her breath. Another locked door; another empty room. She sighed, turning a corner and brushing her hand along the wall.

A second later she paused mid-step, hearing voices down the hall. Without knowing why, she began to silently move towards the sounds. Light came from under a set of doors, and murmuring and breathy laughter could be heard within…

Frowning slightly, Naoko leaned closer to listen.

oOo

"What do you call that?" Daidouji Tomoyo asked testily, hands on hips, as she looked at the scene before her.

He, of course, just grinned. "My costume, silly."

"That's not a costume, Eriol, that's a half-hearted and unsuccessful attempt at humour."

Mock-pout. "What's wrong with it?"

Irritated, Tomoyo fought the urge to roll her eyes as she replied. "For one, you are _yourself_ – that's not a costume at all. Then there's the fact that you've decided to add that gash across your throat. It's… disturbing, to say the least. Besides," she added as an afterthought, "I might be able to see through your sick magic tricks, but I doubt the rest of the class will realise that you _don't_ actually have an almost severed head."

"That's too bad," he sighed. "I thought the constant flow of blood was a neat effect."

"Don't be absurd. It's disgusting."

Eriol shrugged. "Still, the visible sinew and spinal cord are neat additions, ne?" At her narrowed eyes he laughed, and walked over to her to give her a closer look. She made a face.

"Oh, that's just gross Eriol."

He snickered as she dodged out of his bloody grasp. Standing a safe distance from her with his hands raised, he looked her over – head to toe – then gave an amused smile. "So, was I right?"

Tomoyo rolled her eyes. "You were right. But you shouldn't be proud of it! Li-kun was no better than the rest."

Laughter. "I knew it, my little descendent is a scoundrel."

"And here I had thought you weren't going to call him that anymore."

"Habit, I suppose," Eriol grinned. "You shouldn't be mad at him, you should really be flattered."

"I should really be getting changed, actually. This," she cried, gesturing at the plunging neckline, "is ridiculous! You're just lucky my mother isn't here! If she caught me in this-"

"And saw all the boys who can't stop staring?"

"You included?" She smiled wickedly when he went pink. "I suggest you stop, and go change into something less… you. And soon, everyone is wondering where you are." Blowing him a kiss, she turned to walk out the door.

"Anou… Tomoyo-chan?"

"Mm?"

"What do you see in me?"

Tomoyo stared at him, stunned. "Huh?" Eriol didn't answer, just watched her. She sighed, then walked over to him. "Well, you're my best friend. My partner in crime, my musical companion. You're smart, talented, funny, kind, courteous, polite, annoyingly attractive…" she paused, then brushed a hand over his cheek before giving him a brief kiss. "You're also an alarmingly good kisser," she said with a quirk of the lips. "You're mischievous, sneaky, overly dramatic, fussy, a bit of a whiner, constantly have your head in the clouds-"

Eriol cut her off with "I asked what you _like_ about me, Tomoyo."

"And I am answering you." At his perplexed look, she pulled his face closer until their foreheads were touching. "I love you, Eriol. For more reasons than I can count. I love what I love about you; I love what I hate about you. Little will ever change that."

"So…" he whispered.

"_So…_" she continued, "dress as what you like, what ever is comfortable. It doesn't mean anything."

He chuckled. "You really are psychic, aren't you." He was answered with another kiss, this one deeper.

"You're just jealous of my magical powers," she murmured, her lips still on his.

He laughed at that, drawing back to look at her. "You never did see me as Clow, did you?" he asked, smile still bright.

"Clow may be a big part of who you are, but you are a completely different person. When I met you, you were just Eriol, the mysterious and mischievous English transfer student. And you're still just Eriol, real and human and the love of my life. You've not changed much at all. Like when you take a cutting from a tree and plant it elsewhere – its origins won't ever change, but it will never be exactly the same as the tree it came from."

"So I'm a tree then?" he teased.

She groaned, and hit her forehead. "I've just started a recurring series of bad taste jokes, haven't I?"

He laughed even harder, but pulled her into his arms. "Gods above, I love you."

"I know. So is the identity crisis over?" He gave her a mock glare, and she kissed the tip of his nose. "Good, because it's about time you went downstairs."

"Oh you think so?" He sat down on the bed, pulling her on top of him without breaking their kiss.

"M-hmm."

"Too bad." Another kiss. "Because… I've half a mind to stay right here..."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really."

"Well then, have fun without me," Tomoyo began to pull herself off, but Eriol pulled her back down.

"I don't see how."

She winked. "Use your imagination."

Eriol opened his mouth to protest, but then paused, as if listening to something, and then released her so he could sit up. Blinking at him, she gave him a questioning look but he motioned for silence.

Not long after, both stared the door as the sound of soft feet hurrying down the hall faded. Tomoyo looked at Eriol and raised an eyebrow. "Who was that?"

"Yanagisawa-san."

"… Oh." Silence, then, "do you think she heard us?"

"No doubt."

Eriol's staring off into space was interrupted by a sudden burst of giggles. He stared at Tomoyo, alarmed, for a few seconds before he joined her laughter. "Guess our secret's out, ne?" he sighed after they calmed down.

"Whoops," she smirked.

And they broke out in laughter again.

oOo

"Naoko? What's wrong? You look flushed! You aren't ill are you?"

"N-no. I'm good, really."

"Does anyone know where Tomoyo went?" Rika asked as she joined the group, warily eyeing the 'finger' she was about to eat.

Glancing up to the mezzanine, Syaroan shrugged. "I last saw her up there," he jerked a finger to where he'd just looked, "But I'm more interested in the location of that brat of a host. He should have showed his face by now."

The others all agreed, bar Naoko who just blushed deeper under the white paint. Rika looked at her curiously. "Are you sure you're alright? Would you like to get some air?" she asked her friend softly.

Naoko shook her head. "I'm fine. I just…"

"You don't have the book you were after. Couldn't you find it?"

"I kinda… I think I–"

"Anyone seen Eriol?" Yamazaki cut in. "I want to see his costume!"

Chiharu shrugged. "We were just saying – none of us have seen him yet, or have any idea where he is."

"Actually…" Naoko began. Everyone looked at her, and she wondered with guilt if she had any right to say. Thinking quickly, she continued with, "I heard Tomoyo talking to him upstairs – she must have gone to find him. They… I'm sure they'll be down soon."

"About time," Syaoran muttered. "If anyone can get that brat downstairs, she can."

Naoko gave a weak smile, and politely excused herself. She needed a drink. A soft symphony started up in the background, and she sighed to herself. _Eriol and… Tomoyo. _They were a perfect pair now she thought about it. And it became increasingly clear to her that they had been dancing around each other for a while, but how long they'd been _together_ she had no idea. Twirling the drink around in her glass she frowned slightly, as if expecting the liquid to tell her something and disappointed when it didn't. Turning back to look at her friends, she caught the gaze Eriol's cousin was directing at her. As Naoko smiled back at the redhead she wondered how long she'd been lost in thought, and tried to ignore the knowing and sympathetic look on her face as she walked back.

oOo

They paused at the top of the staircase. "Are you sure?"

"The costume, or this?" Eriol asked, raising their clasped hands up to eye level. She smiled in response, but her eyes were serious.

"Both."

"Yes, and yes," was his reply, punctuated with feather-light kisses on the corner of her mouth. He then bowed, kissed her knuckles, and gestured downwards. "Shall we?" At her nod he straightened up and offered his arm, then kissed her once more before leading her down the staircase. Despite her pink cheeks, she remained composed and calm as everyone's attention was drawn to their entrance. Shocked faces gazed at the pair, gasps and murmurs filled the room.

Eriol felt Tomoyo tense a little at the rather astonished faces of her friends, so took her hand in his, a rush of delight filling him as he felt her relax. And from that moment he knew: no force could ever make him leave her; no amount of gossiping students or disapproving family and friends could fool him into believing they shouldn't be together. This was it – the last time he would ever love so strongly. There was no one else for him.

And from the look she gave him at their clasped hands, she felt exactly the same.

oOo

"How long?"

Tomoyo blushed a little. "We've been together less than a month, Chiharu, not very long at all."

The girls sat in a curtained corner near the main staircase, seated on large cushions placed around a low table. Candlelight flickered softly, making their eyes glow as they talked. No, _gossiped_. About this new romantic development in her life which by Monday afternoon would be known by the entire student body, and by Tuesday night known by all of Tomoeda. And before the tonight ended, probably known by her mother. Throat suddenly dry, Tomoyo reached for her punch glass.

Chiharu exhaled loudly. "Mou! I can't believe it. And you knew?" she directed the last part at Sakura who gave a little shrug.

"Nobody told me, I could just… tell. They were suddenly very much closer than before." She looked at Tomoyo a little slyly as she added, "It was like the rain had finally stopped, and the sun was shining again. They were… _happy_."

The other girls sighed romantically. "Oh, how sweet," Rika sighed. "To think, I never saw it coming! And you two are so _perfect_ together!"

The colour of Tomoyo's cheeks deepened, and she picked at the tassel on the large cushion. "Please, can we discuss this another time?"

Across the room – no more than a few metres – fingers snapped in front of Eriol's face and forced his eyes away from the girls in the corner. He blinked. Syaoran was glaring at him. "You will treat her right." It was a statement, with an obvious threat. Eriol just smiled in response.

"You think I wouldn't?"

The Chinese boy folded his arms across his chest. "How should I know? Clow was known to be dense with his lovers, and even though you _aren't _him there's _parts_ of you that are."

"Don't be ridiculous. You know as well as I that there weren't that many women in his life, and only one can be counted as an actual _lover_." (1)

Syaoran looked away and shrugged. "Even so, you returned here without Kaho – how should I know what happened, you haven't told anyone."

As Syaoran spoke, Eriol's expression darkened; his fists clenched. "You honestly think I just _left_ her? That the minute it got serious I tucked tail and ran?"

The other boy looked confused at the saying, about to reply when the Grecian Queen of the Underworld appeared next to them and looked at both with a frown on her face. Raising an eyebrow, she spoke carefully. "Is there a problem?"

Eriol visibly relaxed – Syaoran noticed it immediately, and tucked that piece of information away for future reference – and gave Tomoyo a quick shake of the head. "Nothing. It's not important."

She snorted. "Try that again, without lying."

Syaoran spoke before Eriol could. "It was my fault. I was… testing his gallantry. I didn't want your faith to be misplaced."

"His gallantry?" she repeated slowly. And then Tomoyo startled them both by laughing out loud. "That's rich, coming from the boy who was punished for staring a few hours back."

Syaoran flushed red; Eriol grinned. "I appreciate the thought, Li-kun," she continued, "but it's not necessary." Hand held to her mouth as if telling a secret, she leant over to him and whispered deliberately loud "I've been testing him thoroughly for months." With a wink, she hooked her arm around Eriol's waist and led the pink-faced boy to the dance floor as Syaoran laughed behind them.

"That was cruel."

"Really? I thought I diffused the situation rather well." Tomoyo tilted her head sideways, then smirked. "You know, you are almost the exact same colour as this!" She brought the pomegranate up to his face with a flourish.

He blushed deeper, but grinned and shook his head to dismiss the comment. "I'll ignore that. In regards the earlier statement, however, thank you. That… was close to getting out of hand."

"What was he saying, Eriol?" she asked, suddenly serious.

He considered her for a moment. "If I tell you, will you get mad at him?"

"Probably, depending on what he said."

"Then I won't tell you." Before she could argue, he continued. "I meant what I said – it wasn't important. He was testing my loyalty to you, and he got the answer he wanted. He won't do it again."

She was still frowning, so he placed a kiss on her brow. "Dance with me?" he whispered, mouth next to her ear. A slow smile spread across her face as he stepped back and bowed. She answered with an elegant curtsey, and he took her into his arms and onto the dance floor.

oOo

Sakura watched them with a smile on her face. "I know what she meant, now, when she said 'my happiness is your happiness'. I've never been so happy for her. Look at her, Syaoran, she is _glowing_."

Syaoran just watched them, arms crossed. "Funny you should say that. How I feel right now must be exactly how Touya felt when…" Frowning, he looked at his feet. Sakura looked at him curiously, and he continued. "Not that Tomoyo is my sister, or Eriol stealing her away from me, but… it's not going to be the same anymore."

"Change is a good thing, Syaoran. It is necessary. Could you really take this," a wave of a hand towards the dancing couple, "away from her just to get that back?"

"Never!" he cried, and then coloured as people looked at him. He lowered his voice as he continued. "I could never do that to her. I just… I don't want her to get hurt."

A bright smile spread across her face. "You're such a kind person, Syaoran." He went pink again. "I wouldn't worry, though," she continued, looking back over at her best friends as they moved gracefully across the floor. They looked such an elegant couple, drawing admiration and envy from those who watched them. Tomoyo had her head against Eriol's shoulder, her eyes closed, and yet her feet still followed the dance flawlessly. Sakura sighed happily. "He could never hurt her," she looked back at Syaoran, who had also been watching the pair. "He came back here for her, I knew it the moment he saw her."

"You did?"

"Aa. And I know that they'll be happy together, for always. There's no one else for them, no one who can even compare."

Syaoran regarded her for a moment, then extended his hand. With a smile, Sakura took it, and he led her to the dance floor. Drawing her close, he pressed his lips to her cheek and whispered, "I understand."

Others soon joined the couples on the dance floor, making the most of the night as it drew close to ending. Tomoyo opened her eyes and watched them for a while, smiling softly. "Perfect," she murmured happily as her eyes fluttered closed once more.

The moonlight shined dimly through the large window by the entrance, and the yuki-onna that sat on the divan smiled into her glass. Behind her, the first snow of the season drifted lazily to the ground. Her brown eyes watched her students move around the room, dancing and laughing and yawning. And when her eyes fell on the newly revealed couple, for some reason she looked immensely pleased with herself.

oOo

oOoOo

oOo

It was late – early, rather – when they found themselves in the kitchen snacking on leftovers. Gone were their dramatic costumes; they were dressed comfortably in pyjamas and robes. Tomoyo sat on the tall stool, swinging her legs, her slippers dangling off her feet. The pomegranate was still in her hands.

Eriol smiled at her as he passed over a mug of hot chocolate. Placing the fruit on the counter, she took the mug and inhaled with a blissful smile. "Now _that's_ a lot of cinnamon," she sighed happily.

"I'm actually a little dubious about giving you more sugar at this time of night."

Tomoyo gave a tinkling laugh. "I promise not to terrorise you or eat you out of house and home. Besides," she added as an afterthought, "it's technically morning."

"So it is, and I am eternally grateful we don't have school in a few hours." He smiled, eyes closed, and sipped at his drink. "I enjoy languorous hours in bed."

He opened his eyes moments later to her raised eyebrow and somewhat amused expression. "I'll keep that in mind." Eriol went pink, and she tilted her head to the side. "You blush so easily sometimes." She picked up the pomegranate again and held it up to his face in comparison, smirking.

"Should I remind you of the lovely shade of rose you went when I first returned, then?" He chuckled as her cheeks tinted at the memory.

"You caught me off guard," she pouted.

Eriol walked up to her, pausing when his face was inches from hers. "It's a shame you don't blush more. It becomes you." To his delight her blush deepened, and she looked down at the fruit in her hand. He followed her eyes, drawing back slightly. She noticed him looking at the fruit thoughtfully, and spoke a few seconds later.

"Something on your mind?"

"Not really, I just…" he trailed off as he reached down to take the fruit. Considering it a moment, he then looked at her. "You know, I didn't steal you away from her."

Tomoyo blinked, then understood and smiled. "Oh, Eriol, please. You wouldn't dare, and I wouldn't let you. She's my mother, and I love her, but if she doesn't like you she'll just have to deal with it. Besides," she added as an afterthought, "I'm not leaving her anytime soon."

He smiled at her, sitting in his kitchen in the blue kitty pyjamas (which she'd now claimed, as he could no longer make himself wear them) and her hair falling around her face as she sipped the hot chocolate. "Tomoyo?" he asked after a minute.

"Hm?" She glanced back up, watching him as he placed his mug down, prodded the fruit a bit, then tore a side open to reveal the seeds inside. Smirking, he ate one, and looked at her.

Tomoyo laughed out loud. "Oh, you're serious aren't you?" His smile widened but he said nothing. With an amused shake of her head, she plucked a seed from the proffered fruit, and watched him as she placed it in her mouth. "Happy?" she murmured. He closed the gap between them with a mysterious smile, and kissed her.

The fruit fell to the floor, forgotten.

oOo

oOoOo

oOo**  
**

_(1)__ I'm a serious Clow Reed/Yuuko shipper, so I had to stick that in there._

_So there it is! __I apologise profusely to all of you who loved this fic, but it was such a hard chapter – harder than the last – and it required a lot of time and work. Also, I had a few too many months without my muse. But to those of you who stuck around, thank you so much – you are awesome._

_So… Sakura (Takiyasha-hime) and Syaoran (Mitsukuni)… that was a random idea I decided on after a long and difficult search for an appropriate, matching costume that was in no way cliché. For those of you who aren't aware, Takiyasha-hime was a 10__th__ century sorceress, and Mitsukuni was a warrior who stopped her reign of vengeance. Has anyone guessed what Tomoyo is dressed as yet? She was by far the most difficult person to costume – it had to be suitable, after all – and after enlisting the help of some very anti-anime flatmates this idea came up. _

_Anyway, along with being a Yuuko fan, I also snuck little cross-references into this chapter (and previous chapters) that, if you are looking for, you will find. Not all of them are Yuuko related, either. So to those of you who have spotted various ones – well done. If you think you found one and are unsure, mention it to me and I'll let you know._

_Right. Now onto the personal messages:_

_**White Alchemist Taya –**__ thank you! I agree that they make such a perfect couple, I can't understand why they never were canon. They compliment each other bizarrely well. (bows in thanks)_

_**JusT LooKing ArounD –**__ sorry I took so long to update, but thank you for the review nonetheless._

_**asga –**__ glad you like it! _

_**Kuro Chocobo –**__ thank you SO much for the ideas. Would you believe that in the midst of finishing this chapter I actually used some without realising it? I hope the wait wasn't too long for you, and don't worry – I never gave up on this story, I loved it too much. Also, rest assured I _never_ would have made Tomoyo a cat-girl and DEFINITELY not a maid! Although she is slightly less innocent in this chapter, I hope that you are happy with the resulting costume. My immense gratitude for your ideas, your review, and your praise. I am glad you enjoyed it._

_**Chielle –**__ you never let me give this up, and for that I am eternally grateful. This chapter would not have been close to what it became had I rushed through it. Everything I learned over that hiatus period helped me in creating this and I've never been happier with the end of fic. You are my muse, my beta, and the best friend I could ask for. (huggles)_

_**C.LeShay –**__ that sweet huh? Must be the cause of my cavaties too! (ha ha) I'm glad you enjoyed this fic so much, I can only hope you still do._

_**lostbook –**__ I'm really glad you think I have the characters down, it worried me so much – I get so annoyed with OOCness. Also, since you got the answer to that question at the end of chapter 11 I'll do the prize thing for you. What scene do you want an illustration from, hmm? Thanks for getting me started on this fic again (properly), for all the ideas, for the reviews. Since I was so effective in converting you to this pairing, I'll get onto the next fic as soon as I can._

_And to __**everyone**__: Again, as usual, I'd love your feedback. This chapter took so long, and I'd love to know what you think of it. And I never say never to post-completion editing. _

_Next up is the epilogue, and I warn you now – it's pure sap. (cringes)_


	14. Ameagari

**Kuruizaku **_(to bloom out of season)_

_**Pairings: **__ExT_

_**Content:**__ Angst, humour, romance, etc…_

_**Disclaimers: **__There's a reason I don't own Card Captor Sakura – all hell would break loose._

_**A/N:**__ pure sap, to finish off._

oOoOo

**Epilogue: ****Ameagari **(after the rain)

_Four months later…_

Slender fingers danced over the keys with grace, bringing magic to the ears of those listening with each touch. A head of dark hair bent over the piano as the haunting melody filled the room – eyes closed, the figure smiled as they sensed another set of eyes watching nearby, but didn't stop playing. The soft glow of the lamplight caused the gem in the ring to sparkle, but the musician was oblivious and the song continued.

The figure leaning on the bookshelf moved towards the piano, watching with admiration. "I like this song better when you're singing along with it," he mused.

Tomoyo smiled, and stilled her fingers before looking up at him. "I know you do. I was playing for myself."

"How unfortunate," Eriol gave a mock sigh as he slid his arms around her. "I _had _hoped that being engaged to you would allow for your voice to be at my command."

She leaned back into him as she laughed softly. "Asking works just as well."

Eriol sat down on the bench next to her, taking her left hand and brushing his thumb over her ring. "You know, I dreamt about us long before 'we' even began," he smiled mysteriously, and kissed her knuckles.

Surprise was evident on her face. "A premonition?"

"Of sorts. It took me a while to figure it out." He chuckled. "I didn't even recognise it as being us, at first. It wasn't expected. But the dream lingered long after I woke, and the more I thought on it the more obvious it was that it was you."

She considered this for a moment, then, "So you knew, from the start, that we'd end up together?" At his sheepish grin, she shook her head and smiled. "Cheat."

"I didn't know for sure, Tomoyo. After all, nothing is set in stone. There are a million different possibilities – it's all about finding the right thread to lead you to where you want to be."

"So when did you know for sure that you had the right thread?"

A quirk of the lips. "You offered it to me the moment I saw you again." Tomoyo blushed at the memory.

"Did I now? You make it sound like it started there for me too."

"Did it not?" She smiled secretively and shook her head. "Then when _did_ it start for you, dear?"

She touched a finger to her lips and looked thoughtful for a moment. "It would have to be the hot chocolate on the roof."

He gave a warm laugh. "So that's the way to your heart, then?"

"Oh, you'd reached me long before then, I just didn't realise it. And once I had, I had no idea that we would reach this point." She smiled and leaned into him, enjoying his warmth. "No, it wasn't until that day, when you offered me the drink and your company, that I realised you the one person that could read me like a book. And once I knew there was no one else for me."

"Even if I wasn't interested?"

Tomoyo looked at him, then laughed softly. "Baka. I could read you just as well, and you handed me your heart with that hot chocolate."

Thinking back to the moment, Eriol remembered with a chuckle that the mug he'd handed her was covered in little hearts with wings. "So I did."

Content in each other's embrace, they sat on the piano bench in silence for a small eternity. It was the clock that interrupted them, its loud chime sounding from the hall downstairs and echoing through the halls. Eriol sighed at the sound, shifting slightly. "Midnight," Tomoyo murmured, then looked up at him and smiled warmly. "Happy Birthday, Eriol." Reaching up, she brushed her thumb over the corner of his mouth before kissing him. She felt him smile against her lips, felt him say her name, and she wound her arms around him in bliss.

He drew back long moments later, and pressed his forehead to hers as he smiled. "Sing for me, Tomoyo?"

"You've but to ask," came his reply, and she brushed her nose to his before turning back to the piano and beginning to play again. Her voice sang out across the room, embracing him even as it soared and kissed the ceiling, the walls, the windows. It was the magic she wove, unmatched and beautiful, each time more enchanting than the last. And he watched her hands dance, her mouth smile; he engraved each detail into his memory as if this time was his last. Just as he always did.

When she finished playing and turned to him, he kissed the corner of her mouth and whispered, "Play for me again?"

And she did. Only this time, _he_ sang.

oOo

oOoOo

oOo

_That's it! I actually feel like crying that it's over, it is by far my best accomplishment in fanfiction. To think, this all started that rainy day in Nelson when I was bored stiff and homesick. Way over 2 years ago now. Phew._

_If anyone is interested in the song that inspired this chapter, it was the Sarah McLachlan song "Possession" – the solo piano version, that is, rather than the original. _

_Anyway, thank you all for reading. You were great help, great support. I hope the hiatus period didn't piss you off too much. I'm going to start working on a bunch more E/T fics in the future, as I've had them planned for yonks. Not sure just yet whether I'll post them here or elsewhere, but if it's elsewhere I'll let you know. In the meantime, arigatou and… _

_**Owari.**_


End file.
